1001 Ways to Give

When it comes to gift planning, there is practically an unlimited number of ways for someone to remember a favorite institution or organization in his or her long-range plans. Gift plans can be created through bequests, charitable gift annuities, life insurance and real estate, to name a few. Donors can even use combinations of gift strategies to meet retirement and estate objectives while also satisfying their philanthropic goals.

Dr. Joan Richardson did just that when she combined life insurance, a charitable remainder trust and a bequest into gifts benefiting UTMB to establish an endowed chair in pediatrics. Dr. Richardson, who holds many titles at the academic health center, including medical director for hospital inpatient services and Neonatology Division director, chose to use a life insurance policy naming UTMB the beneficiary. To benefit family members, she has planned half of her estate to be placed in a charitable remainder trust. At the termination of the trust, the university will benefit from the remainder. The balance of her estate has been planned to go to UTMB directly.

A Class of 1970 graduate from UTMB’s School of Medicine, Dr. Richardson said she wanted to give back to her alma mater. “UTMB means a lot to me,” she said. “It made good sense to plan something for the school.”

Pat Bumpus: Family Matters allows UTMB to become more self-reliant

Some people don’t know when to quit. Pat Bumpus is one of them. Bumpus, a school liaison in the UTMB Children’s Restorative Care Unit, retired after working 20 years at the university. She missed the day-to-day contact, however, so she’s back as a part-time employee.

As president of the UTMB Retirees’ Association, Bumpus participated in the Family Matters campaign by giving to her association’s scholarship. With enough support from other members, the association hopes to have sufficient funds by 2007 to support a deserving student. The scholarship would rotate each year among the university’s four schools. Bumpus is also contributing to a fund that will create a long-term rehabilitation program for children. The program would be a sort of pediatric version of UTMB’s Acute Care for Elders Unit. “We have a lot of kids who need more inpatient services than can be provided here at this time,” Bumpus said.

The former teacher said Family Matters provides an ideal opportunity for employees to enhance their workplace. “We all work here or have worked here, and we all see needs around us,” Bumpus said. “UTMB has a long history of helping people, and I would hate to see that diminished because of cuts in state funding.”

To learn more about Family Matters and how you can make a difference, visit www.utmb.edu/familymatters, email family.matters@utmb.edu or call (409) 772-8783.