Carol Reineck, Ph.D., RN, MSN '82

Carol Reineck, Ph.D., RN, MSN '82

When she was a faculty member in the School of Nursing, Carol Reineck, Ph.D., RN, MSN '82 passed the names of donors displayed on the walls more times than she could count.

"When I walked by those names every day, I would think of how appreciative we were of the support from our alumni and community. When I lost a family member, those names suddenly had so much more significance. I decided then that I wanted to join that family of donors to the School of Nursing," Dr. Reineck said.

Dr. Reineck knows of the three stages of life – survival, success, and significance – and said she considers making a difference now and in the future an important part of every stage of her life.

For many, the last phase, significance, is when most look to make a difference beyond their physical presence. This is exactly what Dr. Reineck hoped to achieve by joining the list of names she had seen every day. Thus, she immediately began planning her legacy – her "future legacy."

To create her "future legacy," Dr. Reineck decided that a deferred gift annuity was the right gift for her. This allowed her to make a current gift, receive an income tax deduction, and ensure guaranteed annuity payments for life beginning at a time in the future that she determined.

"Life is uncertain," Dr. Reineck said. "For me, this gift option was perfect. I can help the School of Nursing and create a future income stream for myself that may help with unexpected expenses.

"The needs of our School of Nursing in the future are going to be great. As our university becomes less reliant on state support, we will be looking to private philanthropy to help us achieve our mission of educating the future generations of nurses. I am so honored to be a part of that future, and I hope that others will join me by creating their own future legacy."