Meet Our Donors

We thank all our legacy-gift donors for their generous support. Here are some of their stories.

Barbara J. Ballantine: A Gift for Future Patients

My husband Rex and I were true soulmates – in life and in business. I lost him when he was just 42, two years after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma in the fall of 1997. Through my giving to Roswell Park I feel like I am investing in a future where all forms of lung cancer will be treatable and we won’t lose our loved ones to cancer anymore.

It is so rewarding to know that my fund – the Rex E. Ballantine Jr. Endowment for Lung Cancer Research – is helping Roswell Park's scientists and doctors find better treatments. That's also why, in addition to my endowment,  I have included Roswell Park in my will, so that my giving will continue beyond my lifetime.

Don Timby, Grateful Patient

If it's between Uncle Sam and my favorite charity, guess where my IRA will go?

Retirement plans or an IRA can be subject to multiple taxes that can reduce by as much as 70% what you planned to leave to your family.

There's a charitable alternative that I have taken advantage of to benefit both my family and Roswell Park. By making the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation the beneficiary of all or part of my retirement plan, I can leave other, less tax-burdened assets to my heirs.

Roswell Park receives a gift, and my family will receive more from my estate.  It's a good choice for Roswell and for me.

Mary Pinto, Dedicated Volunteer Supports Roswell Park's Future

After my daughter, Linda Scime, lost her battle with cancer in 2000, I knew I wanted to give back to Roswell Park. I took Linda's place on the Roswell Park Alliance Community Board, and I began volunteering in the gift shop. I also contribute in a different way.

I'm not a wealthy lady, but I believe by naming Roswell Park in my will, I can provide a larger financial gift, one I'm not able to give right now.  Along with leaving something for the important people in my life, I want to leave something for a place that's been so very special and important to me as well.

I encourage my fellow volunteers to consider legacy giving to complement their commitments to Roswell Park.

Dorothy and Bill Schugardt, Extraordinary Appreciation

In 1982, my husband Bill was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was told that he probably had two years to live.  Fortunately, Bill came to Roswell Park Cancer Institute for a second opinion.  Now, 26 years later, Bill and I volunteer regularly at RPCI; I'm in the gift shop, and Bill is a greeter on Wednesday mornings at the Institute's front entrance.  We consider our volunteerism "payback time" for Roswell Park. 

Giving back to RPCI by giving our time is just a simple way for us to say thanks for the lifesaving treatment and care Bill received so many years ago.

In addition to volunteering, I have donated blood platelets for more than 20 years, and together we have provided more than 3,200 hours of volunteer service.

We joined the Dr. Roswell Park Society by notifying the Institute of our plan to provide a gift by bequest. We feel good helping Roswell Park during our lifetime and we were happy to provide for the Institute in our wills -- we appreciate firsthand how Roswell Park can change people's lives.

Matthew W. Sitek, Generous Gift Provides Lifetime Income

My brother, Stanley, suffered and died of esophageal cancer in 1994. I wanted him to go to Roswell Park, but he never made it.  So, when I was thinking about my will, I decided that if I could help just one person like my brother, I would be very happy.

My brother, sister, and I grew up on Norris Street, off Hertel Avenue, in Buffalo's "Goat's Town" section.  My education at McKinley High School prepared me well for two long careers as a machinery mechanic. I worked 31 years with American Radiator and 14 years with Dunlop Tire. 

After serving with the Merchant Marine and traveling the world, I settled in Buffalo and lived with Dorothy Jarnot, my wife of 54 years, until her passing in 1999.

The decision to establish a charitable gift annuity and include Roswell Park in my will was easy. I miss Stanley everyday, but I know that by making this gift, I'm paying tribute to him and the impact he had on all of our lives.

Mary R. Manning, RPCI Retiree Makes Gift of a Life Insurance Policy

I spent my entire career at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, as a secretary and executive assistant in the administrative offices of the Vice President of Finance and the Director of Operations. 

When I was a high school student, I worked part-time.   Roswell Park Cancer Institute had such a great reputation that I hoped my part-time job would become full-time when I graduated. Thankfully, it did!  I never wanted to work anywhere else.

I enjoyed working at Roswell Park for 37 years. It has given me so much. That's why I have made Roswell Park Cancer Institute the beneficiary of my civil service life insurance policy.