INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A former second lady of the United States, Karen Pence on Tuesday said she sees no reason why she can’t keep supporting her fellow Hoosiers.

The wife of former Vice President and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence had a charitable foundation during her time as first lady of Indiana. The foundation featured a spring luncheon that raised over $600,000 for Indiana charities. She told News 8 on Tuesday that she is returning to that model to launch the Hummingbird Charitable Foundation. She said the foundation began with conversations with longtime friends about nine months ago.

“There is no reason why now I should just be having lunch with my friends and visiting grandbabies,” she said. “I realize that there is more that I can do for my fellow Hoosiers.”

Pence said the foundation will raise money through an annual luncheon to be held each spring. All of the proceeds will go toward a different set of charities each year. For the foundation’s first year, Pence chose three charities focused on veterans’ issues: Indy Honor Flight, INvets and the Indy Warrior Partnership. INvets helps people transitioning from the military to find jobs, the Indy Warrior Partnership connects veterans with housing support, Veterans Administration benefits and other services, and Indy Honor Flight takes aging veterans to visit the memorials in Washington, D.C.

Pence said choosing those three charities allows the foundation to support the full spectrum of veterans’ needs throughout their post-military lives.

After this year, Pence said she will ask the public to nominate charities for the foundation to support each year. The foundation’s board of directors will make the final decision who to partner with. She said she wants people to nominate charities with as broad a reach as possible. Pence said the hardest part will be deciding who to support each year.

“I think Indiana is a state that is very charitable,” she said. “What I saw when I was First Lady of Indiana was that Hoosiers take a tragedy or a trial or a difficulty and they change it into something that could help other people. They would take that loss and create a charitable organization to help others going through the same thing.”

The Hummingbird Charitable Foundation’s first fundraiser luncheon is scheduled for March 27 at The Indiana Roof Ballroom in downtown Indianapolis. Tickets start at $200.