A long-time supporter and donor to The Catholic Foundation, Al Hrubetz has given fully of his time, treasure and talents to the Foundation over the 46 years he has lived in Dallas.
Al and his wife, Rose, are members of Christ the King Parish. They established a Donor Advised Fund at The Catholic Foundation, which provides the optimal flexibility for charitable giving and allows them to make recommendations for grants to pre-life causes, assistance to the poor and needy and other areas close to their hearts. Organizations that have benefitted from their generosity include St. Louis University, Catholic Charities, Aid to the Church in Need, St. Vincent de Paul Society and the White Rose Women’s Center.
“I have been very impressed with the quality, organization and dedication of The Catholic Foundation staff and leadership over the years,” said Al. “Dallas-area Catholic men and women who wish to serve their community could find no better venue to do so than to support The Catholic Foundation.”
Al started his commitment to The Catholic Foundation working alongside the late Hal Tehan. He then served on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees under five presidents in a variety of roles, including treasurer, chairman of the finance committee and member of the distribution committee, where he enjoyed assisting with so many Catholic community needs.
“My most outstanding recollection is our $85,000 grant to the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School to save the school from closing,” said Al. Following that grant, Al helped establish a school board for OLPH, and then raised more than $700,000 in a fund to furnish scholarships for students.
Al currently serves on the board of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, which he helped establish; on the advisory board of the Maguire Energy Institute at the SMU School of Business; and on the executive committee of the Texas Oil and Gas Commission.
“We mustn’t forget that the tremendous growth and success of The Catholic Foundation is attributed to two visionary Catholic laymen – Tom Unis and Ed Maher, who laid its cornerstone,” said Al. “The Catholic community can be proud of the Foundation’s accomplishments.”
Kathy Hoover is one donor who needed no explanation of why donor advised funds are advantageous. As a CPA and CFP with over 41 years of experience focusing primarily on tax compliance and all aspects of tax planning, she is an enormous advocate of donor advised funds, and with good reason. Kathy, retired Tax Director at Interstate Batteries, spent most of her earlier professional career working with closely held businesses.
“When working with your tax professional, one of your goals should be to make the preparation of your return as easy as possible,” says Kathy. “Instead of collecting tax receipts from all your charitable beneficiaries, you are able to give your tax preparer one receipt for the gifts made to your donor advised fund each year. Less time spent by your advisor documenting your charitable deductions means more time minimizing your taxes in other areas - an efficient use of what you pay for the preparation of your return. Because your tax deduction comes when you make a gift to your fund, you precisely choose the timing of your deduction while maintaining the flexibility to recommend gifts to charities of your choice over time as you see fit.”
Kathy joined The Catholic Foundation Board of Trustees in 2015 after serving on the Foundation’s Advisory Council since 2003. Of course, she is no stranger to a board room as she is also on the Senior Alumni Board at The University of Notre Dame and served on the board of The Pines Catholic Camp, St. Monica Finance Committee and St. Monica School Board. Kathy is past president of the Notre Dame Club of Dallas and was actively involved in the American Heart Association and has dedicated much time and effort at her home parish, St. Monica Catholic Church since 1989, and, in the broader community.
Kathy and her husband Bob started The Hoover Family Fund of The Catholic Foundation in 2014 and use their fund to support the charities they hold most dear to their heart. “Not only do I see the value of a donor advised fund from a professional standpoint, but as a supporter of several charities, I recognize its value in making our charitable giving easier,” said Kathy. Kathy has been married for 37 years and has a daughter, Christina, and a son, Michael, who attended Ursuline and Jesuit Catholic schools in Dallas.
To say that Fr. Jason Cargo is intellectually curious would be an understatement. An Eagle Scout, degreed Meteorologist and former NET Ministries missionary with two degrees in Sacred Studies, Father Cargo has a broad range of interests. He is also well-traveled, having served in Canada in addition to his 4 years of pastoral studies in Rome.
After ordination in 2007, Father Jason had tours of duty at 2 parishes as a Parochial Vicar prior to his first pastor assignment at Immaculate Conception in Corsicana in 2011. After more than 4 years, Bishop Farrell recently asked Father Cargo to serve in the same capacity at St. Joseph in Richardson. Despite the demands of his duties as pastor, he also finds time to serve with numerous worthy organizations including TOBET, Sacred Heart Book Store, the Diocesan Committee on Scouting, the Catholic Pro-Life Committee and Hope Center in Corsicana.
Not only is Father Cargo generous with his time and talent, he also shares his gifts of treasure using a donor-advised fund at The Catholic Foundation to assist him. After hearing about the idea from Foundation donor Marge Giangiulio, Father Jason decided to take a look himself. After meeting with Michael George he found that he, or anyone, can give at even a moderate giving level. “Involvement with The Catholic Foundation involvement isn’t just for those with ‘deep pockets,’” says Father Cargo. “I enjoy the flexibility and ease of using just one account to recommend grants for all of my charitable interests.”
Father Jason is a fan of the Foundation’s online DonorLink feature to check his fund balance, who he supported, make new grant recommendations anytime and anywhere, and even make donations from his cell phone. “The Foundation’s response time is great”, says Father Jason. “The accepting organization is quick in receiving the distribution, usually less than a week. The flexibility also extends to his charitable intentions after death, and he was pleased to learn that his donor-advised fund becomes a permanent endowment after he is gone. “It is a comfort to know that I will be able to support the causes that were so important to me during my lifetime for years to come,” he says.
Father Cargo knows that he's been blessed to serve in places where parishioners are passionate about their involvement at their local church. “The Foundation’s Parish Endowment Program is a great way to make our parishioners aware of ways to stay connected to their beloved parish even after they're gone,” says Father Jason. “The Parish Endowment Program is an ideal way that people can give back to the parish and continue to support the community that nourished and enriched their day to day existence for so many years during their lifetime.”
“A piano and guitar in every home,” could sum up Catholic Foundation donor Art Greenhaw’s devout passion for promoting music to heal the world.
Art believes if every young person had the opportunity to experience these instruments in their youth, it would fuel a healthy passion for life and inspire them to make positive choices in their school, personal and spiritual life. It’s this mission that brought Art and his mother, Patricia, to The Catholic Foundation where they established the Holley McWhorter Greenhaw Charitable Fund. “I want our contributions to grow exponentially,” says Art, and he wants to increase and spread these positive effects across his treasured Texas community that had lovingly nurtured his upbringing and career. The Holley McWhorter Greenhaw Donor Advised Fund at The Catholic Foundation will help their contribution make a larger impact in the future. He felt that the traditional values and charitable focus of The Catholic Foundation is very much in alignment with the message of his music, and trusts the Foundation to aid him in living out his philanthropic vision.
Sixth-generation Texan musician and producer Art Greenhaw was born in Dallas to Patricia McWhorter and Frank Greenhaw and was a gifted high-achieving student. Art’s love of recording has resulted in Grammy Awards and multiple Grammy Nominations for his label, Greenhaw Records. Art’s goal is to support programs that promote music for healing, and bring people of all faiths together- regardless of their upbringing, race, religion or beliefs. Bringing healing through music to those in medical need, such as with the elderly and those with Alzheimer’s, and promoting music to inspire our youth in the local schools, are just two of the many types of music programs that are part of Art’s dream.
Monsignor John T. Gulczynksi was born August 26, 1911 in Wilmington, Delaware and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on June 7, 1936 in Sacred Heart Cathedral by His Excellency, Most Reverend Joseph Patrick Lynch, Bishop of Dallas.
In 1952 His Excellency, Most Reverend Thomas K. Gorman, then Bishop of Dallas, established the new Parish of St. Thomas Aquinas, Dallas, Texas and appointed Monsignor John as its first pastor where he served until his retirement on June 24, 1989 and served as Pastor Emeritus until his death.
During his lifetime, Monsignor John was gifted with a strong faith as well as shrewd investing skills and a knack for building. He was also very passionate about serving the Catholic elderly. When he passed in 2004, he bequeathed monies to The Catholic Foundation to establish The Leon and Victoria Gulczynski Endowment Fund of The Catholic Foundation in honor of his parents.
Monsignor hoped that with this legacy, he could assist with the construction, expansion or maintenance of new or existing Catholic retirement facilities or nursing homes located within the Diocese of Dallas. Since the inception of the fund in 2005, The Catholic Foundation has honored Monsignor Gulczynski’s vision with grants to St. Joseph Village Chapel in Coppell and Saint Joseph’s Residence in Oak Cliff.
Since 2007, St. Joseph Residence has been the recipient of almost $1.86 million in grants towards maintenance, construction of a new wing and new roof in 2015 and construction of a new foyer in 2016. Monsignor Gulczynski’s legacy lives on through the endowment he established, and St. Joseph’s Residence is thriving because of his forward-thinking charitable plans.
Nathan and Diana Harris, parents of 9, know the importance of budgeting their monthly-giving to
make an increasing annual impact and ensure a lasting legacy for their children.
Nathan, an
Orthodontist since 2003 in Highland Park and in Forney, TX, and Diana, who has Master's Degree
as a P.A. and now devotes her time to homeschooling their children, still find time to give
back. They are involved in many aspects of the Pro-life movement, help feed the homeless at the
Stew Pot downtown, and their children volunteer at the nursing home playing the piano.
The Harris family started The Nathan and Diana Harris Family Charitable Fund in 2014. They were
attracted to the Donor Advised Fund model when they heard that the Catholic Foundation is able
to use interest from all of the funds, big and small, to make an immediate impact in the Dallas area.
Their Donor Advised Fund is a vehicle that can easily support their passion for the Pro-Life
movement and Catholic Schools in the Dallas area.
In considering your estate plan, it isn't always necessary to choose between your own needs in retirement and supporting charitable causes important to you. When the objective is both providing for your future and supporting a favorite cause, many individuals like Bill and Kasey Hollon turn to Charitable Gift Annuities from The Catholic Foundation.
As donors to the Foundation, Bill and Kasey found a charitable gift annuity to be a perfect solution. Kasey told us, “creating a Charitable Gift Annuity at The Catholic Foundation was very beneficial for us – both personally and charitably.”
A Charitable Gift Annuity is a contract between a donor and The Catholic Foundation. The donor transfers cash, marketable securities or another valuable assets to the Foundation in return for a partial income tax deduction and a lifetime stream of payments from The Catholic Foundation. After you are gone, your generosity lives on by helping those in need through grants from our unrestricted Philanthropy Fund.
“Not only does it help provide for our future,” Kasey adds, “but knowing that any funds remaining in the Annuity after our deaths will help The Foundation give to needy causes through their Philanthropy Fund is another reason we chose The Catholic Foundation. They represent everything we wanted in helping us accomplish our goals…they are trustworthy, and always available. You’re not just a “number” at The Catholic Foundation. It’s the ultimate win-win scenario.”
To learn more about Charitable Gift Annuities and how we can help you create a charitable estate plan that also helps meet your personal objectives, call The Catholic Foundation at 972-661-9792 or visit us at www.catholicfoundation.com.
Josephine Cowley Toogood, born in Great Britain in 1923, has had a fascinating, heroic and generous life. When she turned 21 years old, she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Josie eventually became instrumental in the war effort as one of the earliest radar specialists tracking German fighters in their attack on Great Britain. She was manning the radar on D-Day from the White Cliffs of Dover.
Josie called herself a "war bride" because she married an American soldier, Chester Stanley, after a year-long courtship during which they saw each other for a total of 21 days. She had to wait until there was a spot on the SS Erickson ship so she could later move to a small west Texas town to share a home with her new husband and in-laws.
At just 39 years old, her husband Chester died of lung cancer when her children John and Anne were just 5 and 10 years old. Brave and courageous Josie, a single mother, with no driver's license, no formal job history, no credit and only one thousand dollars cash in her pocket, packed up their lives and moved to Dallas.
During these extremely challenging years, Josie was soon to understand giving and receiving generosity like never before. Despite living economically on the edge, her children never felt deprived and were nurtured by the Benedictine Sisters at St. Monica Grade school, where Josie also volunteered.
Little did she know that she would soon meet and marry her second husband Ed Toogood, transforming her life and the lives of her children. She has continuously volunteered at St Monica's Church and School, visited patients at the Veterans Hospital, and cared for friends, neighbors and family for over 40 years.
In 2016 Josie donated her home to the Foundation and the proceeds were used to establish The Josephine Fund of The Catholic Foundation. As advisors, her children and grandchildren will continue her legacy of generosity for many years to come. The philanthropic intention of the Fund is the support of causes and/or organizations that serve women, girls, and especially Catholic single mothers, a cause near and dear to Josie’s heart.
Josie’s son, John Stanley, summarizes his first lesson of generosity from his mom, “Accept care from others with grace. Then take what little you have, make it available, it will be blessed, then give it away without expecting repayment and standby for an abundance of awareness and relationships.”
The Power of Endowment
Louise Buhrer, a 5th generation Swiss immigrant and a very special donor, was active in Catholic causes and would want us to share her story with you.
Louise established a Charitable Remainder Unitrust with The Catholic Foundation using stocks/bonds and her home totaling $777,000. She received income in excess of $370,000 from this fund throughout her lifetime, and it became a permanent endowment upon her death in 2000. To date, the fund she established has provided $2.3 million in grants to Ursuline Academy of Dallas, Dallas Catholic Schools for education and tuition assistance, and the Dallas Catholic elderly. As her endowment continues to grow, her legacy will continue long into the future. Today the Louise Buhrer Endowment Trust is valued at over $6.9 million.
Create your Legacy
Did you know that donors may open funds that distribute grants today and keep their philanthropic legacy alive after they are gone? Once a fund is established, grants may be made that align with the donor's charitable intent. Whether a donor wants to support his or her alma mater, local parish or medical services and research, the professional staff at the Foundation ensures the philanthropic dreams of these donors continue beyond their lifetimes.
Brian and Jamie understand the importance of investing in their parish. They give
extensively through several service and leadership roles as well as financially to the
St. Gabriel’s Capital Campaign, the Diocesan Appeal and general parish support
through their fund at The Catholic Foundation.
The Brian and Jamie McCarthy Family Charitable Fund is also used to support Catholic
Radio, McKinney Community Food Pantry and Samaritan Inn. All of the McCarthy’s
charitable giving receipts are conveniently documented in one place come tax time.
The McCarthys track the consistency of support for their favorite organizations over
the years through the fund. Brian and Jamie like the idea of working with The
Catholic Foundation now, knowing we will continue to aid the Catholic community
even after they are gone.
Brian, Marketing Manager for Texas Instruments, and Jamie, a stay-at-home mom,
are truly setting an example for their five children to selflessly give of their own
resources to help others in need.
Civic leader Susan Heller Stanzel is a wife, mother of 5, grandmother of 15, fifth generation Texan, and has an extensive and impressive philanthropic leadership resume too long to list in this short article.
Like her father before her, Susan believes the greatest honor she can receive is the “joy of doing for others” and, even as a young girl, has always volunteered graciously for the job no one else wanted to do. Susan Heller graduated from Ursuline Academy in 1957 and later that same year she married Tom Stanzel, an Air Force Officer. During their thirteen year journey around the globe, Susan’s main passion was, and still is, selflessly volunteering to help others, her faith and Catholic values.
In 1970, Susan returned to Dallas and continued her tireless charitable work with Holy Trinity parish and later at Christ the King parish. Over the years she has volunteered her time and has served on dozens of highly-respected and well known boards and committees throughout the Dallas community. In 1985 Susan and her husband Tom co-founded the Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation of Texas as a way to inform others about communism and public policy and to promote involvement in the Catholic Church through founding and growing multiple conferences featuring highly respected national speakers.
Susan’s father, Frank Heller, was not only a powerful influence in the original founding of The Catholic Foundation, but he was a former Chairman of the Board as well. Her loyalty to the Foundation has always been strong. In addition to her life insurance policy benefitting The Catholic Foundation that she donated in 1990, she and her husband Tom have used their growing donor advised fund since 1983 to assist with their charitable giving. By donating a life insurance policy at a young age, she wants to inspire young people with her example, that they can start making a difference at any age. Susan has long understood the value of utilizing resources of The Catholic Foundation to benefit causes closest to her heart.
Susan followed in the steps of her father by serving as a trustee of the Foundation for nine years and has been a strong advocate by assisting in building relationships with generously minded individuals and organizations in our community as well as high profile international organizations such as the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land, which has a designated fund at the Foundation to benefit their University Scholarship Program. Susan’s most recent passionate efforts have been towards their mission of providing outstanding service to the plight of the Christians living in Israel and Susan herself has organized 6 pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
Despite the plethora of leadership positions and abundance of noteworthy awards that 1999 Catholic Foundation Award recipient Susan Heller Stanzel has achieved, she considers her most noteworthy accomplishment and greatest blessing in life to be her marriage of 58 years to her husband, Tom, and the rearing and education of their 5 children, Rose, Richard, Paul, Michael, and Rachel.
The Thoele family created The Robert and Erin Thoele Charitable Fund in January 2016 to
streamline the family’s current giving and to set up a vehicle for significant philanthropic giving in
the future. Robert and Erin Thoele enjoy the benefits of user ease and tax simplification, but more
importantly, this giving vehicle allows them to continue their passionate support for Juvenile
Diabetes research and especially for Dallas Catholic Schools.
Their children currently attend Ursuline, Jesuit and Prince of Peace Catholic School, where both
Erin and Robert serve in leadership capacities. “Our long term mission is to involve our children in
designating organizations to support financially,” says Robert Thoele, CFO and General Counsel
for AXS TV and HDNet Movies. “We not only want to demonstrate to our children the charitable
giving of ‘time’, but also the charitable giving of ‘treasure’ through our fund at The Catholic
Foundation.”