Meet Our Donors

On behalf of the Archdiocese of Chicago, we would like to thank all of our current donors for their generosity and support. Here are some of their stories.

Val and Margaret Turansky

Sometimes, straightforward words say it just right. When asked why they remembered their parish in their trust, Val and Margaret Turansky replied, “We started with nothing 42 years ago. We have worked very hard and feel we have been truly blessed by God. Throughout our lives we have tried to share our blessings with others, and our bequest to our parish helps us do that.” The Turanskys deeply appreciate their parish community. “We feel very much at home there,” they said. “We have met so many wonderful people, including our pastor.” The Turanskys give regularly to their parish through monthly automatic donations, and they recently completed a generous pledge to their parish campaign. Faith, gratitude and generosity have defined their lives. Val and Margaret’s bequest fits the pattern perfectly.

Bob and Ellen McCarthy

The McCarthys’ generous planned gift started out with a simple goal; they wanted to share their blessings with others. “We set out to create a fund that would help children in underserved areas of Chicago get the best education possible. That was our objective,” Bob McCarthy said recently. When it comes to helping children from Chicago’s most challenging neighborhoods reach their fullest potential, the track record of our Catholic schools is truly amazing. The McCarthys’ charitable lead trust achieves their goal of helping young people get the education they deserve. The icing on the cake came because they used good planning to maximize the effectiveness of their donation. Their trust will produce a generous income stream to the Archdiocese for 10 years. That money will fund a permanent endowment to provide scholarships to Catholic school students in Chicago's inner city. After 10 years, the trust’s remainder will revert to the McCarthys’ loved ones at a significant tax savings. It is always gratifying to achieve a truly “win/win” outcome, especially when the biggest winners are deserving children.

Bernard J. and Kathleen Beazley

The Beazley family is a wonderful witness to how everything is possible with God. They were once told they could not have children. After 9 children and 14 grandchildren (so far), Bernie and Kathie live in the conviction that God freely gives us all we have. Their gratitude is evident in their life of sacrifice and generosity. Though the Beazleys are no longer able to maintain their active volunteer schedule, in the past it was not uncommon to find them at the parish rectory counting the Sunday collections or acting as lunch monitors at the parish school.

The plan they came up with is a terrific example of wise stewardship. The Beazleys made their parish, catholic education in the Archdiocese of Chicago and Catholic Charities the payable-on-death beneficiary of their IRA account. The funds in the account are available to Bernie and Kathie during life and this designation is completely revocable if family circumstances change. Unlike many assets that are passed to relatives, the Beazley children would have been required to pay significant taxes on this IRA. That is why Bernie described the IRA as the "preferred asset" to leave to charity. If they leave it to the kids, every dollar is substantially reduced by taxes. By leaving the IRA to the Church, every penny goes to the ministries the Beazleys believe in.

Peter Byrne

Almost every day, Peter Byrne reflects on the blessings he has received from God and his Church. "My Catholic education, from grade school through college, is my starting point. This foundation provided me with the values and spiritual and intellectual fulfillment that have guided me." A decorated combat veteran of World War II and successful executive in the transportation industry, Peter's accomplishments are numerous. He is fully aware that the source of all his blessings is God. "It is the right thing for me to help perpetuate the mission of the Church, and this is the right time" he says. Through a charitable remainder unitrust, the Byrne's found a simple and gratifying way to help fill their need to return God's gifts. Peter points out, "Simultaneously, this simple transaction enabled me to increase my income, obtain an income tax deduction and reduce my estate tax. It was a win-win move!" In their unitrust, Mr. and Mrs. Byrne have provided generously for their parish, the schools he remembers so fondly, the Archdiocese of Chicago, retired priests and religious and more.

Mr. and Mrs. Byrne funded their unitrust with appreciated securities, thus maximizing the trust's benefit. They are free to supplement their original contribution and have already done so. Their annual payout from the unitrust will be based on the trust's yearly asset value and, therefore, will vary from year to year. Through this simple transaction, they experience the joys of prudent stewardship: helping secure a bright future for our Church while meeting personal, family and tax planning objectives at the same time.