Gifts to benevolent care fund promise financial security for residents
For most of her adult life, Eleanor McClelland lived in Manhattan. Ten years ago, she and her husband, Bill, decided to purchase a home with acres of land in Berks County, Pa. When her husband passed away nearly two years ago, the maintenance on her home became overwhelming. So she put her house on the market, sold it in four months, and moved to Luther Crest, a Diakon Lutheran Senior Living Community in Allentown, Pa.
Moving from a large home, which featured plenty of space for gardening and for her dogs to roam, to an apartment was not always an easy adjustment for McClelland, but she is finding her niche at Luther Crest and discovering new passions—such as helping Luther Crest enhance its benevolent care fund.
“What I like about the Luther Crest Benevolent Care Endowment Fund is that no one will be told to leave their home,” says McClelland of Diakon’s benevolent care promise, which assures care even if residents deplete their financial resources. “It could happen to anyone because you never know when your money will be gone,” she says.
Luther Crest provides approximately $450,000 in benevolent care each year. Joie Barry, a Diakon major gift and planned giving officer, cites several reasons for a rise in the number of residents needing financial assistance. “People are living longer and income from investments has decreased.”
McClelland opted to support the Benevolent Care Endowment Fund through a charitable gift annuity, a choice that may provide an income tax deduction and a lifetime of annual income for her.
“Look what you get in return!” says McClelland. “I think gift annuities are great.” Other choices for supporting the fund include gifts of cash or securities, making a gift through investments or retirement funds, and bequests.
Each day, McClelland becomes more comfortable at Luther Crest. She has met many new people, some of whom ask her for medical advice—which she gives reluctantly—when they discover she holds the title of “doctor.”
“I don’t want to be called doctor,” says McClelland. “I’m just as happy to be called Mrs.”