Three former Foundation Presidents and our current President have made arrangements for planned gifts to the Foundation, showing their commitment to the hospital long after it is no longer part of their job.
Shirley Hale Stucky believes that making a planned gift to Huntsville Hospital is making an investment in your own as well as the community’s future healthcare.
“Since I didn’t have a lot of spare money at the time, I made my planned gift with a bequest in my will, helping to ensure the future of health care for me, my children, my grandchildren, and the community,” she said.
Dorcas Harris came to understand the challenges the hospital faces. She believes “…without a doubt, Huntsville Hospital is one of this community’s most vital and most important institutions. It has evolved into a large regional hospital system because of its success as a business entity and its great reputation for quality care. But that care is very expensive. The technology and the equipment are ever-evolving and the hospital has to attract the specialists who are needed to serve this growing community. Huntsville Hospital has earned my respect and admiration – I know my donor dollars are well spent.”
Candy Burnett says, “I will always remember how proud I was to support the amazing physicians and staff who have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of their patients. As John and I age, we will rely more and more on the services of the hospital for our health care needs – that’s very important to us. But it is also important for us to know that future generations of our family will be able to rely on Huntsville Hospital’s outstanding services too.”
Sarah Savage-Jones loves the quote “The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit”, and says, “Our community built this hospital, and what an amazing story. My planned gift expresses my gratitude to our hospitals for the roles they have played in blessing my family with health. I want to ‘pay it forward’ to take care of those who follow.”
Within the last two years, the Foundation received two large planned gifts from former Auxiliary volunteers Helen Rose Ream and Jeannine Glover.
Helen Rose Ream knew exactly how she wanted her funds to be used. In her will, she listed specific pieces of equipment for the Surgery Department, the Stem Cell Transplant Clinic, the Pathology Lab, the Regional Neonatal ICU, and the Anesthesia Department. But she ultimately deferred to the needs of the institution, stating “In the event the funds available are not sufficient to fund the above equipment suggestions, or if such equipment becomes outdated before my death, or if such items are no longer needed by the Hospital at the time of my death, then I authorize the Huntsville Hospital Foundation to use the available funds to purchase equipment items most needed by the various departments listed above or other departments at the discretion of the Foundation. “
Jeannine Glover was not specific, so the Foundation staff worked with her children to find a funding need that was appropriate to her interests. Jeannine loved children. She helped create the hospital’s “Let’s Pretend Hospital” ”, a program designed for first graders to help reduce the fear and anxiety they may experience if hospitalized. About the time we were notified of the Glover gift, we found that the nursery in our Madison Hospital needed major renovation. As it so happened, the amount of the Glover gift was exactly the cost of the needed work on the nursery. The Glover children were asked about this potential use and Rob Glover said, “I can’t think of anything that would make our mom happier.”
All six of these women have seen how the hospital “operates”. They have seen the needs. They have seen how hard the staff works. They wanted to show their admiration and provide support for the long term.
Most, like Shirley, have utilized a will to carry out their wishes. Jeannine Glover and her husband Jim created a charitable lead trust (CLAT), a vehicle that can enable a donor to take a charitable deduction, avoid capital gains taxes, reduce estate taxes, and make a gift to the hospital for a number of years before distributing the assets to heirs at a substantial tax savings.
Please consider these exemplary women as you think about your legacy. Your professional advisor – attorney, accountant, financial planner – can help you determine what assets you can utilize and the most financially savvy way to structure your gift. The staff at the Foundation can help you determine how you wish your gift to be used.
