“We all want to be remembered and we all will leave something behind,” wrote Barry K. Baines, M.D., in his book Ethical Wills: Putting Your Values on Paper. What better way to be remembered than to create an endowment that will benefit Heritage Pointe as well as remind family and friends of your values and commitment?
“The purpose of creating a strong endowment is to ensure that Heritage Pointe, and the excellent quality of care it provides, will continue into the future for generations to come,” said Ellen Weiss, director of development at Heritage Pointe. “Our campaign, ‘A Promise for Tomorrow,’ launched in our recent annual report, is gaining momentum, thanks to the leadership of Dick Polonsky and Leo Pinsky. Other community leaders will soon be joining in our efforts.”
To inaugurate this special endowment program, Heritage Pointe’s board of directors has announced the creation of a $250,000 matching challenge campaign. For every gift given specifically for endowment, a matching sum will be added, thus doubling the amount placed in the Heritage Pointe Endowment Fund. This fund is invested with the Orange County Jewish Community Foundation.
“Our initial goal is to raise $500,000 by December 2012,” said Dick Polonsky, chairman of the campaign. Donations to the endowment fund can include any assets that can be converted to cash value, such as appreciated stock or life insurance policies; those assets with future cash values such as Charitable Gift Annuities or Charitable Remainder Trusts; and of course, cash donations.
“Bill and Carolyn Klein are among the first to make a gift to the Heritage Pointe Endowment Fund by donating a venture capital investment. We are most grateful for their generosity, and hope others will follow their lead,” said Weiss. “All donors to this campaign will be recognized as members of the Heritage Pointe Legacy Society and hosted at an annual event.”
There are many ways to create a lasting and meaningful legacy. Irv and Ellie Burg are community leaders who proudly commit to leadership and Jewish values. “You think about leaving a legacy as you grow older,” said Irv, a former president of the Orange County Jewish Community Foundation. It was under Burg’s guidance that early Heritage Pointe supporters raised the funds needed to purchase the facility that would become home to thousands of Jewish elderly over the years.
“Ellie and I care deeply about our friends, the community in which we live, and that institutions that are important to us,” he added. “We have invested ourselves in their support, and we want to continue giving to those we care about in perpetuity. That is why we established a Charitable Remainder Trust as a way to accomplish our goals.” The Burgs named Heritage Pointe as one of the beneficiaries of their Charitable Remainder Trust. Ellie was a member of the founding Board of Directors of Heritage Pointe, and a past chairman of the Jewish Federation.
To learn more, contact Ellen Weiss, director of development at: (949) 364-0010 or go to the Heritage Pointe website: www.heritagepointe.org