How do you honor parents who have sacrificed to send you to Christian schools and have themselves made a commitment to Christian education? Richard and Ardis Dick Stenbakken, both 1962 Union graduates, paid tribute to Ardis’ parents in a tangible way in 1995 by establishing the Avery and Arline McTaggart Dick Union College Scholarship Fund to assist students in their quest for a Christian education.
Avery ’38 and Arline McTaggart (’37) Dick both had a desire to graduate from Union College, but paying double tuition after they got married wasn’t feasible. So Arline took a 30-year break from college and worked while Avery finished his religion degree. Had a scholarship like the one established in their honor nearly 60 years later been available to them, Arline might have graduated the same year as Avery.
Recently, Avery and Arline wanted to ensure their scholarship would be available to more students while providing lifetime income for themselves. They chose to establish a charitable gift annuity. The Dicks will benefit by receiving a current tax deduction, a high rate of return on their investment and a lifetime income. Additionally, at the end of their lives, Union College will benefit when the balance of the annuity is added to the Dick’s existing scholarship. When asked why they chose a charitable gift annuity to benefit Union College, Arline responded by saying, “Six of our immediate family members have attended Union and five graduated from Union. I guess you could say we are a Union family.”
Avery and Arline benefit every year by hearing from and meeting students who have received assistance from their scholarship. “The students are great people,” says Avery. “They have told us many times that they love Union, and we couldn’t be happier about that.”
A charitable gift annuity provides a way for you to not only support the work of Union College, but also receive valuable tax benefits and fixed income payments. In the current economic environment of low interest rates and volatile stock markets, a gift annuity can provide you with peace of mind that you can depend on your annuity payments year after year.
To find out more about gift annuities, see our giving opportunities.