Catholic Charities of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties

SAN BERNARDINO CA – Catholic Charities recently received a bequest for $100,000 to fund its endowment. This bequest came from long-time Catholic Charities supporter Jacqueline “Jackie” Marler. Jackie’s fondest wish was to support the charities in her death that she supported in life, and it was in this spirit that her estate made this gift of $100,000 to the Catholic Charities Endowment on November 2, 2009.
The Catholic Charities Endowment takes the money bequested and invests in such a way that the interest pays for on-going operations and new and innovative programs. The practice of investing the principal, rather than spending it, creates a perpetual fund. An endowment can be thought of as a “gift that keeps on giving.” since the principle is protected and only the interest earned is spent.

“We are deeply grateful for Jackie’s generosity. Jackie had the foresight and understanding that her bequest would provide permanent stability for the operations and the programs she cared deeply about,” commented Ken F. Sawa, CEO of Catholic Charities. “Her lifelong commitment to social justice and her concern for others will now make it possible to help ensure that Catholic Charities can provide services to the most vulnerable for generations to come.”

Speaking about the benefits of the Catholic Charities Endowment, Sawa said, “An endowment gives us a foundation for the future while we continue to meet the on-going daily needs. Regular financial gifts help us meet the day-to-day needs while the endowment envisions a brighter future.”

As a lifelong parishioner of Holy Rosary Church, member of the volunteer guild at St. Bernadine’s Hospital as a pink lady, and volunteer at the Humane Society, Salvation Army and Catholic Charities, Jackie was an active participant, constantly looking out for others. Jackie was married to Jack Stafford who died several years previous and the couple was childless.

Commenting on Jackie’s foresight, her lifelong friend and her trust attorney Bill Lemann said, “If everyone gave a portion of their property to a charity of their choice, collectively it would make an enormous difference. These funds could be leveraged many times over to dramatically increase the services an agency provides. I’m sure she is pleased with her legacy and the help that Catholic Charities is going to be able to provide in the future through her bequest.”

A charitable bequest, simply put, is a provision in either your will or your living trust which provides that all or a portion of your estate is to pass to a charitable organization such as Catholic Charities. A bequest can be a specific item, a sum of money or a portion of your estate. Making a bequest to a charity is easy. Estate planning documents should be prepared in consultation with your attorney.

For additional information on how you can make Catholic Charities your charity of choice, please contact Catholic Charities at (909) 388-1239 or visit our website at www.ccsbriv.org.