Niagara Lutheran

Mission

In 1987, the Niagara Lutheran Health Foundation was established to encourage support of the Health System's mission by accepting, administering, and investing contributed funds on its behalf.

Niagara Lutheran Health System provides quality health care and housing services to people of all faiths and walks of life. Within a Christian environment, we place the needs of the individual above all else and seek innovative approaches to care for each person regardless of age, condition, or disability.

With your help we will continue to be a leader in service to the elderly and infirm in Western New York. We envision a thriving system which "raises the bar" for standards of quality care and we seek to engage philanthropic partners to enhance service excellence.

How Your Gift Helps

Gifts and grants help us reduce pain and suffering for our residents and their loved ones.
Gifts and grants help us provide equipment and furnishing that otherwise would not be able to be purchased.
Gifts and grants provide for a variety of life enrichment programs for our residents and their loved ones.
Gifts and grants assist with the recruitment and retention of top quality staff and help us provide for recognition of our invaluable volunteers.
Gifts and grants provide special training opportunities and scholarships for outstanding caregivers.
Gifts and grants strengthen our ability to meet today's needs and enhance our capacity to plan for the future of eldercare service in our community.

Legacies For Life (Niagara Lutheran's Bequest Program)

Legacies For Life is a special program which recognizes and honors generous individuals who have decided to provide a legacy gift through provisions made in a will, trust, or insurance policy. Legacy gifts assure the future for Niagara Lutheran's mission of service and they enable benefactors to help others for generations to come. Legacy benefactors know that their gifts will have great importance for those who can not provide for themselves.

A bequest (transfer of property by will) to NIAGARA LUTHERAN is one of the easiest ways of perpetuating your support for the role we play in the lives of the elderly and infirm. You may stipulate whether the bequest is for general support or for a specific purpose. A bequest may also be made in honor or memory of another individual.

Bequests to NIAGARA LUTHERAN may include cash, securities, life insurance, IRAs, annuities, trusts, real estate, works of art, or other personal property. When making a will, you should obtain the advice of an attorney and if you already have a will, a bequest may be added as a codicil, without rewriting your entire will. We will be pleased to work with you to design a gift specifically tailored to your wishes. The following are suggested forms for various types of bequests:

(a) "I bequeath the sum of $_____ to The Niagara Lutheran Health Foundation, Buffalo, NY, 14208 to be used or disposed of as its Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate."

(b) "I bequeath to The Niagara Lutheran Health Foundation, Buffalo, NY, 14208 to be used or disposed of as its Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate.

" (c) "I devise all of my right, title and interest in and to the real estate located at (DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY) to The Niagara Lutheran Health Foundation, Buffalo, NY, 14208 to be used or disposed of as its Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate."

(d) "I devise and bequeath (all/or _____%) of the remainder of my property to The Niagara Lutheran Health Foundation, Buffalo, NY, 14208 to be used or disposed of as its Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate."

(e)"If my husband/wife does not survive me, I bequeath the sum of $_____ to The Niagara Lutheran Health Foundation, Buffalo, NY, 14208 to be used or disposed of as its Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate."

Gift Assets

Every gift is used to help others, while providing you with tax advantages. You may provide a gift with or without specific designation for its use. Undesignated gifts allow our Trustees to apply your generosity to address a variety of needs.

Cash	Gifts of cash entitle you to a charitable income tax deduction.
Stock	Gifts of appreciated securities allow you to take a charitable income tax deduction and avoid capital gains tax on the asset's appreciation. Shares can be electronically transferred between your broker and an existing Niagara Lutheran broker. Please contact the Foundation Office at 886-4377 if you'd like additional information.
Property	Gifts of real estate and tangible personal property can offer particular tax advantages depending on the type of gift and circumstance of the donor.
Retirement Accounts	You may give assets in retirement plans to Niagara Lutheran. It is also possible to gift retirement funds through bequest, thereby minimizing estate, excise, and income taxes which otherwise could accrue to heirs.
Insurance	Life insurance may provide an attractive method of charitable giving. You may gift a paid-up policy or a policy that is not fully paid, making Niagara Lutheran the owner of the policy. There are special tax considerations for these gifts and each gift must be carefully planned.

Bequests and Trusts

Bequests

You can offer a bequest to Niagara Lutheran Health Foundation in a Will or Trust that takes effect after your death. Your bequest may reduce or eliminate your federal estate taxes while benefiting a Niagara Lutheran program or fund. You may be able to make a bequest through use of a codicil, which is a simple amendment to your existing will. Property including cash, securities, jewelry, artwork, and real estate can be given through your will.

Trusts

REMAINDER TRUST
You establish a Trust where income from the Trust is paid to you and/or another beneficiary for life and/or a term of years. When the Trust ends, the principal is gifted to Niagara Lutheran.

LEAD TRUST
You place assets in a Trust for a period of years with a specific amount of income being paid to Niagara Lutheran during the term of the Trust. At the end of a specified period of years, the assets are passed on to the named beneficiaries or revert back to you.

The Niagara Lutheran Health System has earned a reputation for quality, commitment and compassion as evidenced below. We are thankful for contributions to the Niagara Lutheran Health Foundation that assist us in maintaining that reputation.

QUALITY

"What you and your staff do is magic. There is no way any one or combination of us in our family could provide the level of care you maintain for our Dad. Please know that your efforts are greatly appreciated by our family" - from letter to Administrator

COMMITMENT

"I toured many homes in the Buffalo area prior to visiting Niagara Lutheran. My choice was simplified though as soon as I entered. I found a home that clearly stood head and shoulders above the rest." - from letter to CEO

COMPASSION

" I sing the praises of the care and environment at Niagara Lutheran every chance I get. But what I am most impressed with if the culture of mutual respect that is so evident. Everyday you work with residents who can be difficult, unresponsive, or severely depressed. And yet the atmosphere is upbeat, positive, and full of kindness." - from letter to staff