Paul ’03 and Krista Toms

For Krista and Paul Toms ’03, planned giving is an opportunity to make a lasting impact that goes beyond their immediate family.

And as they thought about places that were important to them, Krista knew right away that Woodberry should be at the top of the list.

“I met Paul when I was eighteen and he was twenty, and it was clear early on that Woodberry was special both to Paul and to his family,” she says. “It’s been cool over the past fifteen years to see Paul’s relationship with the school evolve.”

Today Paul and Krista — who met when they were students at Boston University and who still live in Boston — serve on the Woodberry Advisory Council. They have two sons, ages five and three, and as they raise their own boys they’re proud of the way Woodberry helps older boys grow and mature.

“Seeing how Woodberry develops the whole boy is really impactful to me,” Krista says. “It’s important to us to demonstrate that we’re invested in and believe in what Woodberry is doing.”

Paul said Woodberry has long been at the top of his list of places to support each year with a gift. Joining the Walker Society was a way to take that commitment to the next level. He’s especially proud of the Mabel H. Toms Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is named for Paul’s grandmother and supported by many of the members of his family with Woodberry connections — his father, Paul Toms ’72; brother, Nathan ’05; and cousins David Fulton ’04, Crawford Rizor ’02, and James Rizor ’05 all attended Woodberry.

The work Woodberry is doing with tuition assistance is very interesting,” Paul says. “It’s important to have a diverse student body so that boys can learn from each other. . . . The reason we give today and will give in the future through the Walker Society is to help kids go to Woodberry who couldn’t otherwise be at the school.”