Columbia Memorial | Health Compass | Fall 2016

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Penny Cowden,
Executive Director
of the CMH
Foundation
A LIFETIME OF THANKS
G R A N D M A A N D G R A N D S O N F I N D WA Y S T O G I V E B A C K
In her words: Mrs. Peggy Rubidoux is no stranger to “doing something.”“My
mother worked at the USO in the 1940s during the war. My dad belonged to
Catholic Charities. They taught us to give back. If I can help people, I can be
happy knowing I did something.”
Her family has a long history of helping others through philanthropy, and Mrs.
Rubidoux was thrilled to learn about the CMH/OHSU Knight Cancer Center from
her grandson, Christopher Laman, PharmD. Laman is currently the director of
pharmacy and cancer services at CMH and has been instrumental in the design
of the new cancer center. His grandmother has a lot to be proud of, and it’s
clear that his excitement about what the cancer center will bring to patients has
spread to his grandmother:
“It’s such a wonderful project and so important. I’m glad to be part of it.”
When Mr. Thomas Rubidoux passed away five years ago, one of the assets he
left was an IRA. Every month Mrs. Rubidoux would look at the statement and
wonder what to do with it—it wasn’t really earning much, she couldn’t easily
pass it along to heirs, and she was paying fees. Once she decided to honor her
grandson with a gift to the cancer center, she knew the perfect way to do it—the
IRA!
By transferring her IRA to CMH Foundation, Mrs. Rubidoux lowered her yearly
taxable income and capital gains taxes. But, most important, she is part of
building something that will become one of our region’s most treasured assets.
Recently, Congress made the IRA
rollover provision permanent. This
means that if you are 70½ or older,
you can make a charitable gift of
up to $100,000 from your IRA. Your
gift will qualify for your required
minimum distribution, and you
will not have to pay income tax on
the amount given from your IRA to
charity.
Why use your IRA?
An IRA rollover gift is a tax-exempt
distribution. Qualifying individuals
can make charitable gifts using
pre-tax IRA assets rather than taking
a distribution, paying income taxes
and using after-tax assets to make a
charitable gift.
How to make an IRA
rollover gift to us
To make an IRA rollover gift, simply
contact your custodian and request
that an amount be transferred to
your favorite charity. Your gift could
be $1,000, $10,000, $50,000 or even
up to $100,000.
If you are like many donors, you
could be paying higher taxes this
year. By transferring some of your
IRA required distribution to your
favorite charity, you can lower your
taxable income. With lower taxable
income, you could reduce your
income and capital gains taxes this
year. Check with your adviser to
see how an IRA rollover gift could
impact your taxes while helping
others.
We are happy to help you
determine if an IRA gift is right for
you. Call us at 503-338-4006 or email
WHAT IS
AN IRA
ROLLOVER
GIFT?
the Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts
speculates, shouldn’t we engage in
a season of thanks? At Columbia
Memorial Hospital Foundation,
we wholeheartedly agree. We are
extremely thankful to our community
of supporters and donors for taking
the mission to heart and bringing it
to life for every person that enters
our doors seeking health, healing
and hope.
In September, the CMH
Foundation kicked off our own
season of thanks with a magical
celebration of giving for donors
and friends. The evening was
dedicated to expressing our gratitude
for a community that has made
maintaining an independent, locally
owned hospital possible. We are
blessed to have many friends who
support CMH. Indeed, having access
to high-level care is the precious
gift donors ensure through their
philanthropy. So as one voice during
this season of thanks, everyone at
CMH and CMH Foundation gives
our deepest gratitude to those who
support us and for those we serve.
(Source: Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts)