Leaving a Legacy with Impact 

When Linda and Phil Andryc decided to include Covenant House in their estate plans, Linda said it was like “a layup shot in basketball. It was a really, really easy decision to make.”   

They both have traveled a long way with our mission and the young people overcoming homelessness and trafficking at Covenant House. Over the course of more than 40 years, they’ve witnessed, and continue to witness, the many ways our youth grow and change as a result of their time at Covenant House, and how our mission has expanded and deepened with their support. 

“Covenant House changes lives,” Linda said. “It changes the potential trajectory of a young person’s life, and there aren’t a lot of places where you can give young people that opportunity.” 

“What I’ve liked,” Phil said, “is the whole progress of the organization that, now, is looking at a holistic solution for homelessness.” Covenant House, he said, “is not trying to be a forever organization but a solution-finding organization.”  

 A Turning Point 

For both Phil, a retired investment banker and, currently, the chair of the Covenant House International board of directors, and Linda, a retired teacher, a turning point in their decision to deepen their support for Covenant House came with the arrival of Kevin Ryan as president and CEO in 2008.  

“Kevin is such an incredible leader and so heart-centered,” Linda said. 

He led a 14-year period of expansion and deepening of Covenant House’s work that laid a foundation for the bold new vision ushered in by our current CEO, Bill Bedrossian. In it, we will deepen our work along three pathways: prevention, direct services, and aftercare, with the ambitious goal to end youth homelessness as we know it today.  

“I really think that’s the way we’re going to build toward a final outcome that can really address the issue in an impactful way,” Phil said.  

“We feel so good right now about everything that’s happening at Covenant House, and we just trust that it will continue to grow in good directions,” Linda said. “I wish there weren’t a need for Covenant House, but, obviously, there is, and it’s an increasing need.” 

Phil, originally from Ohio, and Linda, born in Texas but raised in New Jersey, met when her boyfriend at the time asked Phil to stand in for him when he was unable to meet Linda for a planned date. The boyfriend gradually faded away, and Linda and Phil later married and raised three children. 

They’ve always been thoughtful about their commitment to Covenant House, from the moment Phil first put a check in the mail as a recent college graduate, to continuing that support with Linda after they married, to deciding together to become members of the Kevin and Clare Ryan Cornerstone Society and include Covenant House in their estate plans.  

Kevin’s arrival at Covenant House may have tipped their decision to leave a legacy with us, but it’s a decision that has been reaffirmed year after year, said Phil, by “the stronger team that keeps being built, and the organization becoming more holistic, and the board becoming stronger and more talented and more involved.”  

How to Leave Your Own Covenant House Legacy 

“Something that’s important to me in leaving a legacy is just the potential and possibility that can be created by an organization like this,” Linda said. When she started teaching, she said, she realized how important it is “that kids have that unconditional love and acceptance and how children, through no fault of their own, can land in circumstances not of their own making.” 

For other people considering leaving a legacy of good in the world, Phil advised that they find a message or a cause that resonates with them, and then: “Do some work. Get to know the organization, get to know the people, visit the place. It removes the uncertainty.” 

“The great thing about Covenant House is if someone takes the time to do that and they spend time with the people on the ground who are working with the kids, and meet some of the kids, it’s a shoe-in. They’ll be drawn in. How can they not be?” Linda says. “Once a person walks through that door, they can’t help but be blown away by the work that’s being done there.” 

Legacy Gift Match Opportunity: When you include Covenant House in your will or estate plans now through Sept. 30, 2025, you’ll help us unlock $500,000 in matching funds as a cash gift today. And you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that your legacy will also ensure that Covenant House’s doors remain open for as long as young people need us. Learn more about our Legacy Match Campaign today. 

Interested in estate planning, but not sure where to begin? Contact our planned giving team, who will be happy to speak with you in confidence.