SERVING INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES LIVING WITH MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS IN MIDDLESEX COUNTY SINCE 1968
“You don’t have to be a millionaire to leave a legacy gift to an organization you care about. One reason we chose to leave a gift to Gilead in our will is simply because we truly believe in Gilead’s mission.” – Jean & Mike Monahan, Legacy Society members.
Including Gilead in your estate plans can extend your philanthropy even after your death. While individual situations vary such “legacy” giving can be fairly easy to set up. Some examples include:
Bequest in your will. Leave Gilead a specific asset, dollar amount, percentage, or balance of your estate after taxes, expenses, and other bequests. Donation is fully deductible after estate tax purposes.
Gifts of life insurance. Name Gilead as a beneficiary (perhaps one of several) on an existing policy or donate a policy to Gilead and receive a tax deduction for the cash value of the policy.
Naming Gilead as a beneficiary of a retirement plan or IRA. Estate and income taxes can claim up to 70% of the original value of the IRA asset when given to heirs. Gilead is not subject to estate or income taxes and receives the full value of the asset. Gilead can be one of several beneficiaries.
Gilead’s Endowment fund was established in 2002 with an initial donation by Dr. Robert Baldwin, as a challenge for others to see the value in Gilead and the services it provides.
That Ed “Reds” and Jane McMillan quickly accepted challenge who met the challenge and then extended a matching challenge of their own.
This fund has many contributors who understand the value and the quality of the care Gilead provides in improving lives and building futures.
“A faithful Gilead supporter, I have always received pleasure from the notion that each time I made a donation, I was making a difference in someone else’s life.
I was aware of Gilead’s Legacy Society, and considered it one more way to make a donation. I assumed that eventually, when the future was clear, I would revisit my will and include Gilead.
However, I have recently come to appreciate that leaving a legacy to Gilead is much more than just one more dona tion. My legacy gift — in any amount — joins that of others, creating a resource that can generate a new gift with every dividend. That means that long after I’m gone, I’ll be con tinuing to touch lives again and again and again — a sort of eternal giving.
There are many easy ways to designate that gift, and my choice to update my will turned out to be not very complicated at all.”
“Through my involvement at Gilead I have met many staff, volunteers and clients and have seen the way they work together to ensure quality care for so many. This is why Ted and I have decided to join Gilead’s Leave a Legacy Program.
Ted and I were introduced to Gilead a few years ago through ‘Quizine For a Cause’. As a result of that dinner, I became a volunteer. I have worked directly with clients as a member of the Quizine for a Cause fundraiser.
It is important that Gilead be able to continue the great work they do for their clients, the community and for mental health education.”
“We have always believed deeply in the high quality services that Gilead provides.
That is what drew me to work for this agency. Over the past 15 years, we have also come to understand the critical role that Gilead plays in our community. It is important to us that Gilead continues to provide services that improve and save lives for years and years to come. There is no better investment for us than becoming part of Gilead’s Legacy Society!”
“I have decided to become a Legacy Society member because the financial support for our clients from outside resources is very limited.
I have come to know most of our clients on a personal level, and some of them do not have any family or friends outside of Gilead. Often the only help they receive comes from SSI or DSS which is not enough to live off, and makes it very difficult to make ends meet. In my 10 years working here I have come to see that Gilead can really improve the lives of the individuals we serve but we need the resources now and in the future and that is why I am investing in Gilead’s future.”
“Suzanne and I have experienced the difference Gilead has made in the lives of our clients, and how genuinely appreciative they are for the efforts and caring of our staff.
On a tour last year I met a client who tearfully expressed how happy she was, after many years of being institutionalized, to be living in her very own apartment. She was equally proud to show us the first Christmas tree she ever had. This is just one example of the many positive outcomes made possible by the generous support of Gilead’s many friends over the years.
Suzanne and I have been involved with Gilead Community Services for over 7 years. I have had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors, as both President and a general member, working with an Executive Team who year after year continue to provide the highest quality services and outcomes with ever decreasing State funding.
It is for these many reasons Suzanne and I made the decision to join the Legacy Society. We urge everyone committed to the mission of Gilead to make a similar provision in their estate in order to ensure that others will experience their first apartment, their first Christmas tree and the beginnings of a new and better life.”
“You don’t have to be a millionaire to leave a legacy gift to an organization you care about. One reason we chose to leave a gift to Gilead in our will is simply because we truly believe in Gilead’s mission.
In 2008 we were asked if we’d like to have a Gilead client join us for our Quizine dinner. That was when we met Norma. This year we celebrated our sixth annual Quizine dinner together.
Norma joins our family for holidays, our sons’ sporting events, or just for a simple meal or errand. It is through our relationship with her that we have learned how important and vital Gilead’s services are to the clients.
Leaving a gift to Gilead in our will is also a way to remind our children that giving to others is something we believe in, strongly. If all three of our sons catch on to our philosophy we will be contributing to the future through them.
Probably the main reason we made a bequest to Gilead in our will is for the simple fact that it makes us feel good. We can see that the money is spent wisely and we enjoy the fact that the recipients of these essential mental health services live right here, in our community.”
“The reason John and I chose to become Legacy Society members was a personal one. It’s our hope that our gift will benefit other individuals with mental illness, just as my son has benefitted from the legacy of thoughtful donors from the past.
Since my son has been with Gilead he has been accepted into a community that recognizes his struggle and is working with him to maximize his potential. Gilead’s clients have been accorded the dignity they deserve with effective, caring case management encouraging them onto greater independence.
I know that my gift to Gilead will help perpetuate their mission to provide quality mental health services to their clients and in so doing will contribute towards making a brighter future for all of us.”
“Cathy and I decided to join Gilead’s Leave a Legacy program to do our part to help ensure that the agency will have the means to continue its mission
Serving on the Board has enabled me to experience firsthand the challenges faced by clients and Gilead. Clients who daily have to confront a world that is at times unfriendly and daunting as well as the ongoing challenges that staff and management face in their efforts to provide the quality care and support.
All of this takes place in an economic and political climate that is charged with complex maneuvering and requires the delicate balancing of client needs versus funding. Community donations and grants provide a buffer that enables Gilead to strike a better balance in satisfying the demands placed upon it by the needs of community and the environmental forces that shape the landscape.”
“Leslie and I are proud to join the Gilead Legacy Society as a way of carrying on the great work that Gilead provides in our community.
Gilead has made such a difference in the life of my brother Don and we want to be able to pay it forward for other families that are struggling with a family member with mental illness.”
“I became a member of Gilead’s Legacy Society because I wanted Gilead to continue it’s good work for many years to come.
Now retired from Middlesex Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry, I have had “up close” knowledge of the supportive services Gilead provides to it’s clients, all with the ultimate goal of maximizing the potential of each client to reach their highest level of self-reliance.
Gilead delivers “more for less,” saving taxpayers substantial dollars. It is a privilege to work with the dedicated people who serve as board members and with the staff of Gilead Community Services to improve lives and build futures.”
“Becoming a member of Gilead’s Legacy Society was a decision that just made sense.
Gilead is an organization that I believe in and that I am committed to. If something was to happen to me, the portion of my life insurance directed to Gilead will allow my commitment to live on through this fund. Further, it was important for me to lead by example and join my fellow Board members that are also society members.”
“I am a member of the Gilead Legacy Society so that Gilead can always be there for their clients.
I believe Gilead provides the services that their clients need so they can live with independence, self-confidence, and the ability to make good decisions. Without Gilead’s staff to assist in the everyday decisions and giving a helping hand, many clients would not be living on their own.
Gilead has built trust with their clients. When a problem does come up, the problem can get addressed right away with someone who has a team behind them. The stress is removed; the client can feel good having input into a positive solution.
Gilead is more than a community service agency; it allows families to trust that their family member can achieve their potential. Gilead is like a family member for the many people that they help.”
“From the beginning, we grew fond of the people and experiences we have had over the years in championing the message of hope, dignity, and empowerment of persons living with mental health concerns.
We have been long time supporters of Gilead and its mission to improve lives and build futures. It humbles me to think of the dedication of the staff, volunteers, and especially the clients of Gilead. They make donating to Gilead personal and more satisfying. Their tenacity and strength is something that I believe is an example of how ’life is about choices, so choose wisely’.
We choose Gilead because we know there is a real need for community mental health services. Jim and I donate to Gilead and feel grateful in the knowledge that people are receiving quality care and we want to ensure that those services remain intact.
As an agency administrator my standard of personal performance and goal I set for others is that we would serve and provide care equal to what I would expect for a family member. Gilead continues to achieve that standard in the quality and care it provides with expertise and compassion. We are glad to be supporters of Gilead and give thanks to all those who make these goals a reality.”
“In the course of my 21 years as Minister of First Church, I had many opportunities to meet people who were struggling, vulnerable, or who were looking for a way to belong in the wider community. In some cases, these individuals came to church on a Sunday morning. In other cases, I met them out in the community or on the streets. Invariably, they were warm, compassionate, appreciative of our interaction (as I was) and willing to help in any way they could. I hired one young man to shovel snow from the front steps of the church. Another man soon became proud of his role in making the Sunday morning coffee. A woman became a regular usher.
What the majority of these individuals had in common—I came to learn—was that they were being cared for by Gilead Community Services. Their personal struggles were due to various health problems or disabilities. I often had the occasion to reflect, and reflect again, that without the care of Gilead, their lives would have been far more difficult, or broken, or cut short. They would have been in hospitals, jails, homeless, malnourished, or in some other tragic situation.
I became familiar with the inner workings of Gilead when my friendship with one Gilead client deepened. (He had been the snow shoveler.) Through him, I came to know many of the Gilead staff who watched out for him and others in the group home. I have attended treatment team meetings, taken my friend on weekly outings (before the pandemic) to walk with our dogs, and through such activities had many interactions with the staff. In short, I’ve seen up close how the staff care deeply about the clients they serve. They prepare special holiday meals. They run errands on their way to and from work. They help the clients use the internet, drive them long distances to attend family funerals or visit the gravesites of their deceased loved ones. They go on picnics, to the movies, on walks, shopping, or to medical appointments. They sit for hours in emergency rooms and accompany the clients in all sorts of ways, often in stressful situations. They become the families of the clients, since in many cases the clients have no other family to be present in these ways.
When it came time for me to update my estate plans, I wanted to leave a significant bequest to Gilead. But first, I asked the Gilead administrators about their policies for the use of invested funds and about the discipline and prudence of Gilead’s financial management. I was very impressed both with the nature of these financial policies and the willingness of Dan Osbourne to share details of their financial condition and management policies. Indeed, he was eager to do so.
And of course, I have witnessed for many years how Lucy McMillan so effectively builds and strengthens the bridge between the clients whom Gilead cares for and the surrounding community. Lucy knows the clients by name, she knows their particular struggles and how to involve them in community events for the well-being of all.
If you are reading this, you undoubtedly have your own awareness of what I’m describing. Our observations reflect positively not only on the current leaders of Gilead, but on the traditions they have established—all of which assures me that Gilead will remain in good hands, with compassion at the heart of its work, for decades to come.
So, I will continue to support Gilead while I’m alive. And after I die, my intention is that Gilead will receive a significant amount of my life’s savings that will help Gilead’s life-saving work endure. It’s something I’m honored and privileged, to do. I urge others to consider making a similar commitment. Your own life will be richer when you do.”
“As we were growing our family through adoption, we faced many challenges parenting two sons who had been in and out of care through the Department of Social Services for over 10 years. We quickly learned that it was vital to build a network of support, not only for our sons, but for our whole family. We were blessed to have had community organizations help us over the years. Now, with our sons grown and living lives full of purpose and love, we have each committed to finding ways to pay it forward.
Through my involvement with Gilead over the past few years, we have had an opportunity to see first-hand the critical role that Gilead plays in our community. The mental health services that Gilead provides help meet the challenges and needs of individuals on their journey. Our participation in the Legacy Society is an investment in an organization that reflects our values. It is important to us that Gilead continues to provide services that improve lives – as it has for the past 50 years!”
“Though my time as an employee at Gilead was short, the impact of the experience was very long-lasting.
My career, before Gilead, had been focused on working with youth and adolescents with mental health struggles. When I came to Gilead, and was exposed to the amazingly brave, tenacious adults who were receiving services, my eyes opened to an entire population of people who rely so heavily on the work of the folks at Gilead. My teammates were smart, kind and supportive, and they really showed me the meaning of teamwork. My husband and I became so aware of the need for the services that Gilead provides to continue well into the future, and becoming Legacy Society members is one small way we can help ensure that they do. We want to show our 3 young boys that every person matters, and help can be found if you look in the right places. Gilead is certainly one of those places. I continue to take what I learned at Gilead into my work and personal life, and both have been changed for the better because of my time there!
“In the many years we have been involved with Gilead we have watched it grow into an essential part of our community and we have witnessed how great the benefits are to the individuals needing help.
We want our commitment to Gilead to continue as long as possible and by contributing just a little bit to that after we are gone makes our souls very happy.”
“I have invested so much into Gilead’s success as Chief Operating Officer and this is a way of continuing that commitment and investment when Chris and I are no longer here. We were inspired to join the Legacy Society by other legacy members’ commitment to Gilead’s mission.”
“The path to self-actualism can sometimes feel elusive.
Gilead smooths that path for so many in our community, thus strengthening the ties that bind us in measurable positive ways.”
“Gilead has been around for more than 50 years, and with your support will be around for at least another 50.
We can ensure, to the best of our abilities, that Gilead will be stronger if we make provisions for them now. This can happen with committed individuals investing in Gilead’s future.
One of the most effective ways to insure that Gilead will provide quality services in the long term is to make a public statement of your commitment to their future… today.
I am a member of Gilead’s Legacy Society because of their commitment to provide quality mental health services in my community, their transparency in delivering care and the values and leadership skills of their management team.
I am sure that whatever the reasons why you support Gilead now, you will want to continue your support later. That is why the BEST way to continue supporting Gilead in the future is to carve out a portion of your estate through Gilead’s Legacy Society. Please take the time now, and speak with one of the members of Gilead’s Legacy Society to learn how to join me in investing in Gilead’s future.”
“I am proud to support the fine services provided by Gilead Community Services today; and into the future, with a planned gift to their endowment.
I have witnessed the commitment and expansion of services to our community’s most vulnerable residents over decades. They have continued to keep their clients’ needs and independence as a priority in a very challenging funding environment. Gilead was one of the first to join our Middlesex Leave a Legacy program and have kept that commitment by promoting their endowment’s growth to insure mental health services will continue to be available in the future. They are to be commended not only for their daily provision of services, but for their vision for their continuance. I encourage others to join me as a member of Gilead’s Legacy Society.”
“I’ve dedicated my career to helping others create recovery in their lives as a tribute to my brother, Paul. Even before I worked at Gilead, I knew it was an agency that exemplifies the best in mental health practices.
Now that I have worked at Gilead for almost 17 years, I know that the most important values we offer every person who walks through our doors are hope and compassion. I can’t think of an agency more deserving of my donations and that is why I became a Legacy Society Member this year.”
“We have been impressed with what Gilead is and does since our first introduction at a Quizine for a Cause dinner several years ago. Gilead’s role in helping people with mental health issues is critical and the attitude and dedication of the staff is an unparalleled asset for our area.
We have always felt it important to give a portion of our time and money to others so supporting Gilead was an easy decision, as I expect it was (or will be) for many reading this report. However, the decision to join the Legacy Society took some time.
We came to realize that the need for Gilead’s services will undoubtedly continue long after our death. However, our support of Gilead doesn’t have to stop when we do. Legacy Society donations to the endowment can provide predictable, long term funding for Gilead programs long after those donations are made.
As important, we learned that donations of any size can make a difference and that mechanisms for funding legacy donations can be extremely simple yet still allow for funding of other priorities and family needs.
We are pleased to include Gilead in our long term plans and encourage others to consider doing the same.”
“When I joined the Board in 2016, I knew Gilead did good work in the community but didn’t realize how far reaching their impact was.
Through events like Quizine, Road Race, and Board Service we have since seen the tremendous work the organization does with its clients.
Gilead maintains the spirit of the agency’s founders who wanted to help Connecticut Valley Hospital clients who were being released into the community with little or no support. Since 1968, Gilead has provided structure to their lives and improved the quality of those lives. Gilead’s impact on the community benefits all by reducing the stigma of mental illness and having clients seen as neighbors and friends. Gilead’s staff are amazing and give far more than they are rewarded for. For these reasons and more, we are proud to support Gilead.
As we have gotten to know more about Gilead, we have increased our giving to the agency. We have made a posthumous gift to insure that that our support survives us.”
“When I became a member of the Gilead Legacy Society, I was asked to offer some thoughts on what prompted me to include Gilead in my long term plans.
The answer is short and sweet: 1. There is an enormous need for assistance for those with mental health issues in our state and throughout the country, and 2. Gilead is an outstanding organization that provides life changing support to people in our area.
By helping their clients become productive members of society, Gilead enriches the lives of often marginalized individuals and benefits society in general. I know first hand about the quality and commitment of the staff at Gilead. My son Ben has been a client for over fifteen years and we have been so impressed with the commitment and care that his case managers and others who have worked with him have provided.
The metaphor that is offered at ceremonies welcoming new Legacy Society members is that of ripples produced in a pond when a pebble is tossed into the water. Each pebble (donation) generates ripples that continue to expand. The multiple small ripples are additive over time resulting in waves of support that make an enormous difference for Gilead’s clients. I would encourage others in the community to consider tossing a pebble into that pond to help ensure Gilead’s future and more importantly the futures of those with mental illness in our region.”
“I recently learned about Gilead’s endowment and how it was able to grow over time, and serve as a source of funding for clients after I am gone. I knew immediately that that was what I wanted to do with whatever funds that were left when I died. I don’t have children and I don’t plan to have children. My legacy will exist through Gilead and through my writings. There is no greater gift than to give to others. To help those with mental illness, and perhaps others like me, is thanks enough.”
Thank you to all our Legacy Society Members, not listed above including: Craig Bauer & Heather Tolley-Bauer; Ed McKeon & Lucy McMillan; Barry M. Simon; Rob Snyder & Gail Emilsson; and Joan Youngs.
*Deceased
To learn more about these ways to leave a planned gift for Gilead click here.
