IRA Transfer Gift establishes Endowment

Story by Ron Blaum/CWS

Charles Hebel is taking advantage of recent legislation permitting charitable gifts through the direct transfer of funds from IRAs to make a substantial gift to Church World Service.

A retired physicist, Charles Hebel has a zest for life that is infectious. When asked about his choice to support Church World Service over the years, he responded, "It was a natural!"

Then he explained that his beloved wife, Virginia, was an organist who played in many different church settings. That variety of worship experience created an appreciation for ecumenism and a need for what Hebel calls "portable missions." The Hebels wanted to find a place where they could consistently send their mission support dollars regardless of where they worshipped.

Always the scientist, Hebel did his homework in searching for a charity, and he says, "Church World Service simply stood out because of your breadth of program, low overhead, use of local partner organizations, and that you were welcomed all over the world because you didn't proselytize. Church World Service is imbedded into cultures all around the world, and that has impressed us all these years."

Virginia fought a ten-year battle against cancer and she passed away on New Years Day 2004. "That experience," Hebel said, "forced me to face my own mortality and focus on what is important to me. We enjoyed a wonderful life together for over 50 years, and now it is time to do what I can to help ensure that the values that are important to Virginia and me get passed on." At the congregational level he did that by helping Church World Service receive a $10,000 grant for our Orphans and Vulnerable Children program in Africa.

On a personal level, Hebel felt that creating a permanent endowment with Church World Service in memory of Virginia was the perfect way to help pass on those values that were so important to both of them. When we shared a way for Hebel to leverage his gift to us through the use of life insurance, he was even more enthused. He learned that, through the use of an insurance policy, the impact of his gift to us would be nearly doubled, making his gift all the more significant.

So Hebel is transferring funds from an Individual Retirement Account to create an endowment. And, proceeds from a special life insurance policy will one day further fund the endowment he has created.

Hebel says, "I want to do what I can now so that a little bit of what is important to Virginia and me lives on. I hope this challenges others to do the same."

To learn more, call our Planned Gift Office at 800-297-1516, or visit cwsplannedgift.org.

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