Couple Makes Legacy Gift Through a Bequest to Ensure Future Support

Peter and Barbara are longtime friends of Compassion & Choices and are dedicated supporters of compassionate right-to-die options. In addition to their years of giving and advocacy—including attending Lobby Days in Albany—Peter and Barbara have also included a bequest to Compassion & Choices in their estate plan to ensure their support of our mission continues beyond their lifetimes.

The couple worked with both Sam Young, Senior Director of Legacy & Planned Gifts, and Kim Callinan, President and CEO, to arrange their gifts. “It helped to put a face to the written material we get,” Peter says. “They made the experience personal and kept us up to date. It was an easy way to put our money where our mouths are.”

Peter’s mother, also a contributor to our organization, died at 95 of COPD. “She went blind four years before her death and had essentially very little quality of life,” he says. “Had the law existed in NY, she would have been comforted to know that there were options available to her.”

Barbara says that the most important thing she has gained from her involvement with Compassion & Choices is “the knowledge that if someone I love has a catastrophic illness there is a peaceful way to die. We hope that our gift will ensure everyone has the full range of options at the end of life.”

Peter and Barbara encourage others to consider the legacies they could leave to support the future of Compassion & Choices. “It is important to ensure ongoing advocacy,” Peter concludes. “Avail yourself of all the information about the organization. Have in-person meetings and make a commitment to support their work.”