Your Legacy May 2015

YOUR

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LEGACY

May 2015

University Hospitals Kingston Foundation

ways you can plant seeds for the future 1

Prepare a Will. Only 35% of those who pass away have a valid Will.

Without a Will, you may lose control over your assets.

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Leave a specific dollar amount or a percentage of the assets in your Will to UHKF, designated to an area that is meaningful to you.

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Consider using assets for your charitable gift. These may include mutual funds, stocks, bonds, RRSPs, RRIFs, and/or property.

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Purchase a new life insurance policy naming UHKF as the owner/beneficiary.

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Name UHKF as the beneficiary of an existing life insurance policy.

This idea even extends to employerprovided group term life insurance.

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Consider your personal legacy or a legacy for your family or a loved one. Make it meaningful.

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In this issue...

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Caroline Farrell is actively involved with many local organizations. In addition to visiting her 98-year-old mother twice daily, she continually seeks ways to learn more about the world around her - including hospital care.

Caroline’s legacy is a gift of dignity and comfort When an opportunity comes along to learn more about health care in our community, Caroline Farrell’s interest is piqued. As an example, she toured the endoscopy treatment ambulatory clinic area at Hotel Dieu Hospital with the University Hospitals Kingston Foun-

Proclaiming May as LEAVE A LEGACY™ month

dation’s Women’s Giving Circle in April.

Caroline isn’t simply interested in hearing from care providers and getting a behind-the-scenes look at our hospitals, but she is also investing in it.

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Easy ways that you can leave your legacy

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Seeing the difference created by Amelia’s gifts

7 WAYS TO PLANT SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE

Celebrating May, national LEAVE A LEGACY™ month

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By Kathryn Wright

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Ask your financial and legal advisor to include charitable giving as part of their client counselling. Don’t forget to contact Zoë MacKenzie by calling (613) 549 -6666 ext. 4953 or email her at zoe.mackenzie@uhkf.ca to include UHKF in your Will.

DID YOU KNOW MAY IS LEAVE A LEGACY™ MONTH? The City of Kingston has officially proclaimed the month of May is LEAVE A LEGACY™ month. The proclamation signed by Mayor Bryan Paterson reads: Whereas the Canadian Association of Gift Planners, established as a non-profit organization in 1993, has developed a community-based public education program called LEAVE A LEGACY™ to encourage people from all walks of life to include a gift to a charity of their choice in their estate plans; and Whereas it is in the public interest for individuals and families to be informed about the importance of having a Will and an estate plan; and Whereas LEAVE A LEGACY™ is a donor-oriented education campaign to raise awareness of the importance of including a charitable gift in the estate planning process; and Whereas it is in the public interest to encourage individuals to consider leaving a charitable gift in their Will to improve the quality of life for others as a legacy gift can benefit all not-for-profit groups large or small; Therefore, I, Mayor Bryan Paterson, for the City of Kingston, Ontario, therefore proclaim May 2015 to be “LEAVE A LEGACY™ Month” in the City of Kingston.

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As co-chair of LEAVE A LEGACY™ Southeastern Ontario, and as a professional who is dedicated to helping people enjoy good financial health, I am pleased to share some easy ways to ensure you leave a legacy.

After a long winter, there is nothing more enjoyable than planning your summer. What can be more difficult or uncomfortable to do, however, and thus easier to ignore, is planning for our death and resulting estate.

It is easy to drop some change in a collection plate, or send monies as directed by a death notice in memory of someone.

Those actions happen while we are alive and we can decide to act. I urge you to consider what you can do now to ensure your wishes will continue when you are not on this earth. Leave a legacy.

This will mean discussions – with your family, your accountant, your lawyer, your investment/insurance advisor and/or your favourite not-for-profit, or charity, to confirm you are choosing the most tax-effective manner for making a gift.

When you discuss your wishes with your family, you can remove any illusions of what your intentions are before you speak with the professionals.

That means they can help you create a plan that will also benefit your family and not be challenged in court by a surprised beneficiary.

If you’re a procrastinator, maybe you should consider simply asking your accountant or financial planner about what would happen with your final estate tax return if you died today and did not plan. I anticipate that their response may have you considering if that is truly what you want. Then ask them what would happen if you have charitable designations included.

Speak to your lawyer to confirm if your Will is both current and valid.

With the tax savings that can result from a charitable gift in mind, name your favourite charity, such as UHKF, within your Will and leave a gift for a specific dollar amount or percentage of your assets.

With your investment and insurance advisors, you should review your designated beneficiaries on your Registered Retirement Savings Plans, Registered Retirement Income Funds and insurance policies and consider giving a portion or all to charity.

Death is inevitable and not thinking of it is easy. Discovering how charitable giving can result in even more for those we love and for the causes we believe in can bring great satisfaction.

Kathryn Wright is a Co-Chair of the LEAVE A LEGACY™ Initiative for South Eastern Ontario and a Certified Financial Planner, Elder Planning Counselor, Certified Professional Consultant on Aging and Chartered Financial Divorce Specialist is owner of Wright Wealth Strategies, specializing in the “what if ” scenarios. For more information about LEAVE A LEGACY™, visit www.leavealegacyseo.ca

Your Legacy.

Thoughtfulness at the heart of Amelia’s gift Honouring loved ones by creating a legacy As a fundraising professional supporting Kingston’s hospitals, I have the pleasure of meeting many thoughtful, generous people who want to make a difference in the future of our community. My job is to help them do just that – whatever their capacity.

I would like to share the story of a lovely woman who made such an impact on Zoë MacKenzie, CPCA, the health of our hospitals and Associate Director, communities. Amelia Laing, Planned Giving, UHKF a retired librarian of Queen’s University, died in March 2014 at the age of 82. Predeceased by her husband and parents, she left behind her sister; her niece and nephews; grand nieces and nephews; and several very dear, close friends.

Amelia was thoughtful when creating her Will. After providing gifts to her loved ones, she wanted to ensure that the charities closest to her heart would also benefit from her estate.

Amelia chose to honour her beloved husband, Jamie Jamieson, in a way that would make an impact on the future. In her Will, she made a bequest in his name of $150,000 to UHKF to be used for neurology research at Kingston General Hospital. She requested that the gift be used specifically for research into conditions such as ALS, Alzheimer’s and senile dementia.

Amelia’s generosity did not end there, however. She also provided a gift of $50,000 to Providence Manor in honour of her mother Edith Laing. Amelia had cared for her mother at home for many years, but when Mrs. Laing eventually became too frail to remain at home, she moved to Providence Manor, where she received kind and professional care. Amelia was grateful for the presence and support of Providence Manor, and wanted to ensure that others might benefit from the same high level of services as had her mother: so, in her Will, she left the residence a gift that would enable it to continue its mission of caring for the community’s most vulnerable members.

Since Amelia was so conscientious about making sure that her late husband and mother were honoured, I would like to take a moment to remember her, and to show her loved ones how grateful we are for her gifts in support of the future of health care in Kingston. Thank you, Amelia, for your generous bequests to UHKF, and for the benefits they will bring to our community.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to thank Amelia in person … our paths did not cross, but I will always remember her thoughtfulness and care in how she created her Will. It is not the size of your bequest, but your thoughtfulness in consideration of our future health care for our community that makes a huge difference when we all consider creating a bequest gift in our Will.

Amelia was thoughtful when creating her Will. After providing gifts to her loved ones, she wanted to ensure that the charities closest to her heart would also benefit.

The impact that Amelia made with her bequest to UHKF for neurological research will help our clinical researchers to continue to unravel the origins of ALS, Alzheimer’s and dementia, and to uncover what can be done to prevent such diseases; as well, to find better ways to care for people with these neurological conditions. Research funds are precious, as they provide hope for the future.

Amelia’s estate has received an official charitable receipt for her bequest gifts and, in turn, her estate pays less estate tax to the Canadian Revenue Agency; which in turn allowed more funds to go to her loved ones.

What hospital, doctor or nurse has made a difference in your life or the life of a family member? Fill out the enclosed Evergreen Form and send it back in the postage paid envelope so that I may be able to say thank you in person and hear your story as to why you think leaving a bequest in your Will makes a difference to the future of health care.

Your Hospitals. Your Health. Your Future.

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Caroline’s legacy, a gift of dignity Cont’d from Page 1 Caroline included a bequest in her Will in support of palliative care provided through Providence Care.

“I want to know that the services are available when they are needed,” she says.

Her husband, Howard, spent his final days at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital in 2006. Because she came to understand the needs of the the hospitals, Caroline requested memorial donations support UHKF. When Howard’s name was added to the memorial wall at Kingston General Hospital, Caroline was invited to a special memorial event. That was the first of several UHKF events that Caroline has attended.

In addition to her planned gift, Caroline is a member of the Women’s Giving Circle - a group that pools funds to spark local research in Kingston’s hospitals.

A retired French instructor at Royal Military College, Caroline has worked and studied in many parts of the world. She’s an accomplished artist (painting on silk and water colours) and is focused on lifelong learning. She’s an active member of the Canadian Federation of University Women, the Queen’s Institute for

Caroline Farrell (at left) with members of the Women’s Giving Circle and staff at the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario during a tour last autumn.

Lifelong Learning, an art class and an good death and not to suffer.” antiques group. Caroline also teaches Caroline has twice won the battle French classes at the Seniors Centre against cancer and has many friends in Kingston. who have also lived with cancer. She She says that her interest in supknows the importance of having porting the hospitals is based in the access to quality, supportive care. fact that she lives here. “I believe that She also knows how fortunate we they can use support and you have a are at the Cancer Centre of Southduty to support what you believe in.” eastern Ontario to have access to Her bequest in support is a way to “pay it forward,” noting that she has benefited from the generosity of others in the past, such as through scholarships for her education.

In thinking about her desire to support palliative care, she stresses the importance of being able to die with dignity. “It’s important to have a

some incredible care providers such as Dr. George F. Linn who can make the journey even better.

You too can join Caroline in helping our hospitals. Zoë MacKenzie can help you find a way to make a meaningful difference. Call her at (613)549-6666 ext. 4953.

For further information please contact: Zoë MacKenzie, CPCA, Associate Director, Planned Giving (613) 549-6666 ext. 4953 • zoe.mackenzie@uhkf.ca 55 Rideau St., Suite 4, Kingston, ON K7K 2Z8 Phone: 613-549-5452 - Fax: 613-549-5455 Email: foundation@uhkf.ca

University Hospitals Kingston Foundation supports:

Charitable # 820218147 RR0001

Your Hospitals.Your Health.Your Future.

The information and opinions contained in this newsletter are obtained from various sources believed to be reliable, but their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. University Hospitals Kingston Foundation and its employees and agents assume no responsibility for errors or omissions or for damages arising from the use of the published information and opinions. Readers are cautioned to consult their own professional advisors to determine the applicability of information and opinions in this newsletter in any particular circumstances. This newsletter is under copyright; its reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of the copyright owner is forbidden.