Kathy Fitzgerald, ’92 BA, writes about how she and her husband, Maurice, ’93 BCom, came to be on a U of A honour society list

Family and friends are often surprised to see our names on the University of Alberta’s Quaecumque Vera Honour Society list, the donor recognition group for people who have included gifts to the U of A in their wills or other estate plans. They are incredulous when they ask how we — a one-income family with a young daughter — could possibly provide for the University in our estate. After all, wouldn’t we want to provide for our daughter if something should happen to us?

After Maurice and I were married, we were happy to include charitable gifts in our wills. Giving was something we did regularly, and, since we had no dependents, it made sense to include something in our estate plans should anything happen to both of us. We were footloose and fancy-free, and if we were to leave this world at the same time, we were just fine with giving everything away. But with the birth of our daughter, Grace — as happens with most people in this situation — everything changed.

Our world suddenly revolved around this incredible new person in our lives. We started thinking about such previously far-fetched concepts as registered education savings plans, safety ratings and food allergies. Cloth versus disposables diapers was now a question worthy of debate, as were sleep schedules and potty training methods. Determining how to instill good values also suddenly became a priority, along with how to teach the importance of community and set a good example. One of the most important decisions we had to make together was how to update our will to take into account our new reality.

Like most new parents, the idea of dying and leaving our beautiful child alone in this world was not something we wanted to think about. But parenting comes with responsibilities and ensuring that our daughter would be provided for in the unlikely event that something should happen to both us was a critical one. So we arranged guardianship and agreed that all of our financial resources would be devoted to Grace’s upbringing, education and future needs. Then we met with our lawyer to discuss our wishes and had a new will drawn up.

Reviewing the draft of our new will, I noticed with some disappointment that we no longer had included a charitable gift in our plans. There was no way I would consider shortchanging our daughter. But giving had always been important to me, and it felt odd to leave it out. I believe that we are all together in this world and no one of us can make it on their own. Whether we receive help in the form of a parents’ comfort room at the children’s hospital while our child is in the neonatal intensive-care unit, or in the form of a bursary while trying to make ends meet at school, we all have times when help is needed, and most of us also have opportunities to give it.

So when our lawyer inquired as to our intentions in the event that something should happen to all three of us, at first I was stunned. As a parent, it was hard enough to think about our child growing up without us, but it was inconceivable to consider something awful happening to her. I braced myself and looked at Maurice; this was one scenario we had not discussed.

After a deep breath, I knew this was something we had to think about. If, God forbid, something did happen, our families would be devastated, and we did not want to leave them with the extra burden of handling our estate.

Our motivation in having our affairs in order had not changed when we became parents. We still wanted to have a proper will to not only ensure that our wishes are carried out, but also to spare our survivors the difficulties that can arise without one.

After some discussion, we decided that, in the event of the unthinkable happening, we wanted to divide our estate between family members and two of our favourite organizations: The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and the University of Alberta. As a graduate of the Faculty of Arts, I wanted to direct our gift to that faculty, and Maurice was agreeable (seeing as the U of A does not direct charitable gifts to RATT).*

When we signed off on everything, I felt good about our decision and relieved that our affairs were in order. Our estate plans may change as our daughter grows and our family changes, but the need to support our community and be part of something bigger than us will not. I trust that our wills will remain in the filing cabinet, unused, for a long time, but am comforted by the knowledge that our current will reflects everything important to us: our family and our values.

Kathy Fitzgerald is an Edmonton area writer, mom and proud U of A alumna.

*A campus bar on the 7th-floor of the Students’ Union Building.

How The Fitzgerald's Gift Works

Kathy and Maurice have made a specific bequest in their will naming the Faculty of Arts as a beneficiary.

When they notified the University about their bequest, they accepted an invitation to become a member of the Quaecumque Vera Honour Society. This donor group is composed of individuals who have included the University in their estate plans. Each spring, the University hosts a luncheon on campus for members of this group.

Including a charitable bequest in your will is an effective method of supporting the University without compromising current living standards. One of the many ways of making a gift to the University, bequests are usually one of the largest gifts an individual can make. Charitable bequests can help reduce the tax payable by the estate, thus allowing more of the estate to be used as desired.

If it is your intention to include the University in your will, or you would like to learn more about how to do so, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Gift Planning Unit, University of Alberta
Enterprise Square, 3rd Floor,
10230 Jasper Ave NW,
Edmonton, AB T5J 4P6
Phone: 780-492-0332
Toll Free: 1 (888) 799-9899
e-mail: giving@ualberta.ca