The Community Foundation of the New River Valley Annual Report 2024-2025

INVESTING IN THE BANK OF GOOD Cultivating a Legacy through the Peer Segelke Memorial Fund where she and Peer grew and raised their family since 2007. A Chance Meet-up Across the World

When you hear their story, it feels improbable that Jen and Peer even met. He from Texas, she from Taiwan, yet they found each other across the world in Vietnam. In 2001, Peer took a gap year between undergrad and law school. He sailed the South Pacific, and backpacked Australia and New Zealand before arriving in Southeast Asia. At the same time, Jen was headed to the Middle East to backpack for six months. But the events of 9/11 derailed her plans. Instead, she bought the cheapest ticket out of Taipei, which was to Bangkok, Thailand. Their paths crossed in Vietnam. Jen’s plan to motorbike the Ho Chi Minh trail piqued Peer’s interest, and they spent the subsequent months traveling together before Peer started law school in Austin. Jen joined Peer there later in the year, and in 2005 they moved to Roanoke to be closer to family.

Peer and Jen with their girls.

P eer Segelke believed in the ripple effect of good deeds. For him, a good deed wasn’t about doing something for others to get something in return. It was about investing in the “bank of good” simply to have a positive effect on the world. “Peer wanted the best for everyone,” said Jen, his wife. “Every place you went, people couldn’t help but notice him. He was mindful of others, compassionate, and curious. He was larger than life.” When Peer passed away unexpectedly in 2019, his family wanted to ensure his impact kept rippling. Jen and their three daughters experienced an outpouring of support from their community, including a generous GoFundMe campaign set up by friends. Deeply touched and knowing how much Peer meant to so many, Jen felt the need to pay it forward. She wanted to leave a legacy of Peer’s time in the New River Valley,

On the Ho Chi Minh trail in 2001.

9

THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE NEW RIVER VALLEY