Blue Slipper Stories - Winter, 2022

Blue Slipper Stories

Widows’ Guild Newsletter ̵ Winter 2022

GREETINGS from LINDA JACKSON Relations Administrator

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season celebrating with family and friends and are looking forward to a new year filled with many blessings. It is always a privilege to speak to you through the “Blue Slipper Stories” newsletter, and I hope you enjoy this winter edition.

Each year, the winter edition of “Blue Slipper Stories” is mailed to all Masonic widows (over 14,000) with an invitation to join the Masonic Widows’ Guild.

Whether you have been widowed recently or many years ago, we want you to know you are not alone and there is help and support available to assist you if you have a need.

Membership is open to any widow of a Pennsylvania Mason, and there are no fees, meetings or other obligations associated with membership. Membership in the Masonic Widows’ Guild also provides access to the membership directory, which is available upon request.

We realize that facing the world in this new role can evoke an array of emotions from fear and uncertainty to loneliness and isolation.

The Masonic Widows’ Guild is a way for you to connect with others and receive information and access to programs and services through the “Blue Slipper Stories” and on our website: masonicvillages.org/widows.

Services offered through the Masonic Outreach Program include financial assistance, access to financial and legal counsel and medical equipment.

In 2021, the Masonic Outreach Program provided $66,800 in financial support to 28 Masonic widows.

We can also help you navigate the process of applying for retirement living, personal care or health care services.

Throughout the year, Masonic widows are honored and recognized at lodge events and widow luncheons where they are presented with their Blue Slipper membership pin.

I was honored to attend many of these events in 2021.

We are currently planning our 2022 calendar of widow events, and I look forward to meeting and getting to know many of you on a more personal level. In the meanwhile, please do not hesitate to reach out to me anytime.

Stay safe and stay well.

Remember, if you would like a copy of the Widows’ Guild Directory, please email me at lmjackson@masonicvillages.org or call 717-367-1121, ext. 33497.

Are you considering a CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY (CGA)?

By Brother Alvin H. Blitz, Esq. Chief Gift Planning Officer, Masonic Villages A Charitable Gift Annuity is a gift made to a charity that can provide you with a reliable source of income for life.

CGAs can be issued by a charity for immediate pay or at a later date. The main benefit of the CGA is that the projected unused portion of the CGA based on your life expectancy is available as an immediate tax deduction to the donor. This tax deduction could result in a significant savings of taxes in the year of the purchase. Additionally, if the donor uses appreciated securities or mutual funds to purchase the annuity, an additional savings from capital gains tax can be realized, making the transaction even more beneficial to the donor.

I have worked with numerous donors over the years who avoided significant capital gains taxes, which would have been incurred due to a buyout by a company, by transferring the stock to Masonic Charities.

It should also be noted that rates for CGAs are set by the American Council of Gift Annuities (ACGA), so rates issued by all charities are the same. The major limitation of a CGA is that the donor is an unsecured creditor of the charity issuer, so one must be careful to purchase annuities from organizations with sufficient assets available to back the payments over the life of the annuity.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

1

Income annuities are usually for healthy people who outlive their assets, unless you include a death benefit rider, which will cost you.

2

The rates are better on commercial annuities than CGAs, but the savings can be minimized if the donor can take advantage of the tax savings available to him or her.

3

If you have charitable intent, using a CGA as part of your investment strategy may be beneficial, especially if you intended to leave the charity in your estate plan. You can essentially make your gift now, get income for life, and your gift is released to the charity at your passing.

4

I was once told that people who purchase a CGA live longer because they are happier people and need to outlive their life expectancy to get their money back (I doubt this is true, but it sounds good.)

If you would like to learn more about what a CGA can do to put income in your pocket and possibly more years onto your life, feel free to call our Gift Planning Office at 1-800-599-6454 to speak to a Gift Planner and get your own personalized CGA illustration.

Leave a Legacy: Please consider including Masonic Charities in your will or estate plan.

As a Masonic widow, you’re automatically a member of the MASONIC BLOOD+ORGAN DONOR PROGRAM. Our program helps Masonic organizations host blood drives across Pennsylvania and provides education on blood and organ donation. The services we provide are only possible because of generous donors.

BENEFITS OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP • I f you

receive a blood transfusion, you can be reimbursed for expenses not covered by insurance.

• S hould

you or a family member need a life-saving organ, our program will offer support and education as you navigate the organ transplant process.

Being a member of our program doesn’t make you an organ donor. Register at www.donatelifepa.org.

To learn more, visit MasonicBloodandOrganDonors.org or call 215-988-1958.

A YE AR in Review | Widows’ Guild Events

Coudersport Widows’ Guild Event

Palmerton-Lehighton Widows’ Guild Event

Indiana-Franklin Lodge Widows’ Guild Event

Stroudsburg-Barger Lodge Widows’ Guild Event

Masonic Widows Guild Program 12 Village Green Drive Elizabethtown, PA 17022

Blue Slipper Stories

Widows’ Guild Newsletter ̵ Winter 2022

Contact Us If you or someone you know is interested in the services offered by the Masonic Outreach Program:

In This Issue ...

• GREETINGS

FROM LINDA JACKSON

•C ONSIDERING A CHARITABLE

GIFT ANNUITY?

Masonic Outreach Program

•B LOOD+ORGAN

One Masonic Drive Elizabethtown, PA 17022 1-800-462-7664

•Y EAR

outreach@masonicvillages.org MasonicVillages.org/outreach If you want to be removed from our mailing list, please contact us and let us know.

DONOR PROGRAM IN REVIEW PHOTOS

The Pennsylvania Masonic Widows’ Guild is in place to recognize, honor and support the widows of Pennsylvania Masons. If you have questions about the Widows’ Guild or would like to become a member and receive your blue slipper pin, please call Relations Administrator Linda Jackson at 1-800-599-6454 or email lmjackson@masonicvillages.org.