May is Leave a Legacy Month in Michigan. If there is a charitable cause or organization you are passionate about – like the UMRC & Porter Hills Foundation – Leave a Legacy Month could be the perfect time for you to consider creating or updating your will.
Read more about Fred W. Ford of Munith and how his unique estate gift to the UMRC & Porter Hills Foundation – which included not only cash, but a post office building as well – continues to provide care and support for older adults.
Leaving a legacy is a lasting reflection of your life’s work – your interests, values, and beliefs. Fred W. Ford’s abiding faith and passion for serving others was evident during his lifetime, and that legacy lives on through his generous estate gift to the UMRC & Porter Hills Foundation. His thoughtfulness included not only cash, but property as well.
An influential member of the community of Munith, Michigan in Jackson County, Fred was a pillar of the Farmers State Bank of Munith where he began working in 1924 as a clerk. Its motto, “The Bank Where You Feel at Home,” was something Fred took to heart during his 55-year career which spanned the Great Depression. At the age of 80, Fred was required to give up his position as a director of the bank, but he remained on to help train young executives.
Fred was also a long-time member of the Munith United Methodist Church, an affiliation that began in 1916. He served as a trustee and treasurer for 40 years and taught Sunday School for six decades.
In 2021, the UMRC & Porter Hills Foundation received a transformational gift made through Fred’s irrevocable trust. This included not only cash, but also a unique property gift of the Munith post office property owned by Fred which sold for over $100,000.
“Fred Ford was a lifelong Methodist and clearly a man of deep faith,” says Wendy Brightman, President of UMRC & Porter Hills Foundation. “We are grateful that his faith led him to make such a generous gift through his estate in support of the older adults we serve.”
Did You Know? Gifts of real estate or other personal assets in your will or trust, in accordance with legal guidelines and policies of the UMRC & Porter Hills Foundation, can be a great way to support our mission of caring for older adults.
To learn more about how donating property like a post office, family cottage, or farm can support older adults, while providing incredible tax advantages, visit Foundation.UMRCPH.org/planned-giving/ or contact 734.433.1000 ext. 7397 (east) or 616.577.2297 (west).