The power of giving in your Will
Leaving a legacy gift to the Alzheimer Society in your Will helps ensure families living with dementia can continue to access support.
The impacts of a legacy gift
When Rob Kennedy and his family turned to the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba for support, they found guidance, understanding and a sense of community during a difficult time. The experience meant so much to Rob that he decided to leave a legacy gift to the Society in his Will — helping ensure other families living with dementia can access the same life-changing support.
Rob and his three older siblings first connected with the Society after noticing concerning changes in their mother, Marg, and later in their father, Pete. Their parents were struggling with memory loss and becoming increasingly anxious about everyday things.
“Mom’s symptoms progressed slowly over many years, but we could see how difficult things were becoming for her,” Rob recalls. “Dad also began getting frustrated when she couldn’t remember things. We wanted to help our parents, but we didn’t know where to start.”
After many family conversations, Rob and his siblings decided they needed help figuring out their next steps.
“We turned to the Society to better understand, as caregivers, how we should respond to the memory loss and support our parents with patience and compassion,” explains Rob. “They helped us learn how to ‘go with the flow’ and be patient instead of showing frustration.”
The free education sessions they attended with their father were beneficial, and so was the information available on the Society’s website.
“Just poking around on the website is a tremendous resource,” Rob says. “The information is essential because dementia is a disease that affects the entire family.”
Rob’s parents passed away just six weeks apart in 2006. Since then, the Society has remained close to his heart. In 2015, Rob joined the Board of Directors, also serving as Chair and Past Chair.
His involvement didn’t stop there. Rob also acted as a team captain in the annual IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s and is a current monthly donor.
When Rob and his wife updated their Wills a few years ago, he thought about the positive impact the Society made on his family’s lives and realized he had an opportunity to give back in a powerful way.
He decided to name the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba as a beneficiary in his Will.
“I wanted to make a legacy contribution dedicated to my mother,” says Rob. “In addition to providing for our daughter, we wanted to give back to our community in named bequests to those charities we have supported through our lives.”
Rob believes gifts to organizations like the Society – whether through a donation made today or through a gift in a Will – are especially important at a time when health care systems are under increasing pressure and dementia diagnoses in Manitoba are on the rise.
“They play a vital role in supporting families affected by dementia,” he says. “Their work benefits thousands and thousands of individuals across the province.”
Making a charitable gift in your Will allows you to create a lasting difference in your community while contributing to causes that matter to you. These gifts also offer tax benefits, helping you leave more for the people you care about.
If you have questions about leaving a gift in your Will to the Alzheimer Society, call us at 204-943-6622 or 1-800-378-6699, or email alzmb@alzheimer.mb.ca.
You can also visit willpower.ca to learn more about the benefits of giving through your Will.