Donor profile: Janice McGladrey Wilson
Like her parents before her, Janice McGladrey Wilson has a commitment to advocacy, service and philanthropy.
Janice’s parents pioneered services for people with developmental disabilities when Janice’s brother was born with Down Syndrome in 1937. Refusing to accept the usual practice of institutionalizing their son, they got involved in early efforts with education and employment opportunities in the Cloquet, Minn., area.
“Thanks to my parents’ efforts, my brother, along with hundreds of other developmentally disabled Minnesotans, became a contributing member of society,” Janice said. “I saw firsthand how each of us can make a difference for others,” she added.
Now Janice is pleased to see her grandchildren carrying on the family trait. Her granddaughter, Karen, now a college freshman, was among a small group of tenth graders who raised $20,000 for relief efforts in Darfur.
During 50 years in the Champaign-Urbana community, Janice and her husband, Curt, who died in Feb. 2009, made their own impact. Janice served as a school nurse in the Urbana school system for 15 years. Curt, a University of Illinois professor of agronomy and a USDA researcher, was active as a scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts. The couple hosted international students from the University of Illinois and Bradley University and made Church World Service mission trips to Mexico and India. WILL is among the many organizations that benefited from the couple’s time and energy.
“I think we first donated 35 to 40 years ago, as soon as we were able to financially support the stations,” Janice recalled. “We also enjoyed volunteering to help with radio and TV pledge drives and other events.”
Now Janice has set up a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) that allows her to give to WILL while also receiving a fixed annual income herself. Her financial advisor, Karen Folk, explained how a CGA could also help save on taxes.
“We’re seeing increased interest in CGAs,” said Danda Beard, Illinois Public Media director of major gifts. “As the name suggests, a Charitable Gift Annuity consists of two elements: 1) an outright charitable gift, and 2) the purchase of a fixed income annuity contract. This means that an individual or couple can establish a CGA by making a gift to WILL through the University of Illinois Foundation and, in exchange, can receive a fixed annual dollar amount for life,” she said.
While gift annuities can be funded at a younger age, this type of gift might be especially attractive for those age 70 or above, since the rate of interest increases with the donor’s age at the time of the contract. In addition, a CGA also generates an immediate charitable income tax deduction.
“For all that WILL has provided over the years, I thought I should contribute in a meaningful way,” Janice explained. “I get my news from Morning Edition on AM 580, I enjoy solving (or trying to solve) Will Shortz’s puzzles on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday and I love Nature on WILL-TV.”
“I wouldn’t consider an organization other than WILL for this gift,” she added. “It’s a great community resource to support.”
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