The Story of an Unlikely Philanthropist

 You don’t have to be wealthy or a certain age to be a philanthropist. Anyone can include a gift to a favorite charity in his or her will. Consider this true story:

Rose Guepfer was born on Oct. 22, 1902, deaf and mute, to a farm family from rural Wisconsin. Working in the sewing room of a hospital in Wisconsin for 31 years, she mended surgical gowns and linens, never earning more than $6,100 a year before her retirement in 1988.

With faltering prose, Rose once scribbled this note to an administrator: “I want to give money to hospital for sick people to come here to get well.” When she died in 1997, Rose left the hospital her entire estate, worth more than $160,000. The money funded an endowment for the hospital’s grief support center.

	Request our free guide on how you can include Lewis & Clark in your will.

Completing the Gift
If you are interested in this easy way to continue your support after your lifetime, simply contact Sharon Bosserman-Benson for the Undergraduate or the Graduate School at 503-768-7911, 800-753-9292, or plangivg@lclark.edu, or the Law School development office at 503-768-6901 or lawgive@lclark.edu to receive sample language you can share with your attorney to include in your will. Your gift can be a specific asset or a percentage of your estate.