Philanthropy
A LEGACY OF PHILANTHROPY Toula and John Oberlies’ charitable rollover gift to Sweet Adelines International
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or Toula Oberlies, giving is a family legacy. She was born in Egypt to a large, close Greek family and raised in a diverse community speaking Greek, French, and Arabic. “I’m very international,” she said. When Toula was 12, her family moved to the United States, where she learned to speak English as well. Her father, an accountant, and her mother, an English language instructor, modeled generosity for their children. “As immigrants to the United States with suddenly very limited financial means, my parents had a tough life of it,” she said. “Their lives completely changed. But even back then, they donated what they could to their Greek Orthodox Church and to different philanthropic clubs. They instilled in me the importance of philanthropy.” Since Toula joined Capital City Chorus in 1974, she and her husband John have supported Sweet Adelines International in many ways. Recently, they made a charitable rollover gift from their IRA (Individual Retirement Account) that will help SA fund programs that benefit singers for many years. Countries have varying rules about how retirement funds can be distributed. To learn if an IRA rollover or similar gift may be a strategy for your family, please contact your professional advisor for current information on current age requirements and benefits to you. “I see it as a simple and appropriate way for people our age to give,” Toula said. “I hope it will inspire other Sweet Adelines friends my age to talk with their financial planner and with Susan Smith [Sweet Adelines International Director of Philanthropy] about it, which is what we did.” Toula cared for her parents, who lived to their mid-90s, all their
lives, even as she got her college degree in journalism, married John, and raised their children. The first time she saw her future chorus, she and John were pushing their baby daughter around the mall to help her sleep when they stopped to watch a performance by Capital City Chorus. Toula had been a singer all her life, and she knew immediately that she had found a home. “They were wearing this long, white dress with black lapels and a bowtie, and it was very Broadway-looking,” she recalled. “The front row had a top hat and a cane, and they were dancing. I heard them sing and saw those lapels and the canes, and I had to do it.” John said he knew his wife was “gone” when she rescheduled their anniversary dinner so she wouldn’t have to miss her second chorus practice! Since that fateful day, Toula has spent lots of time singing lead on the risers and has served in several roles at the chapter, regional, and international levels. She is on the Philanthropy Committee and a founding member of The Overtone Society. She helped get Young Women in Harmony and the Young Singers Foundation off the ground. Currently, she serves as marketing manager and performance coordinator for Capital City Chorus, and she is the revitalization chairperson and Official Panel Liaison for Region #4. Toula wants to see other singers benefit from Sweet Adelines as she does, and she believes everyone has something to contribute. “You can come and learn how to sing, develop your voice, learn the craft, and when you are able to contribute and add other responsibilities, you are privileged to do that,” she said. “That’s what is so great about Sweet Adelines. But if all you can do is come and sing, we love that too.”
To find out more about making a one-time donation or a recurring gift, visit www.sweetadelines.com/give, or contact Susan Smith, Director of Philanthropy, at philanthropy@sweetadelines.com or by calling 1.918.388.8040.
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