Leadership leaves a legacy

Lead ersh ip Leaves a Leg acy Planning now for a future charitable gift

As a pension and benefits lawyer, Colin Galinski is used to thinking about people’s future needs. The New Westminster resident has also taken a forwardthinking approach with his philanthropy. As a result, he has named Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. “It was important to me to leave a future gift, and I wanted that gift to be larger than what I give on an annual basis,” says Colin, who joined

colin Galins ki, with his wife and children , has found that a life insurance policy was the best approach for him to make a legacy gift to Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation.

Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation as a volunteer Board Director in the spring of 2015. “I have a young family and of course they come first. When I did the planning, I saw that life insurance was the best way for me to make my legacy gift.” Gifts of life insurance have a number of unique benefits. They are private, can’t be contested and are often simple to arrange. In most cases, all they require is a change to a beneficiary designation form. You can name Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation as the beneficiary of an existing policy, transfer ownership of an existing policy, donate a fully paid policy, or establish a new policy that designates Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation as the owner and beneficiary. In Colin’s case, his motivation for a legacy gift came after he and his wife Marion moved to the Royal City in 2009, hoping to find a community to which they could belong. As he developed roots in the area, he started looking for opportunities to volunteer his time. A chance phone call with Foundation Board Member and fellow lawyer Dwight Ross led to his involvement on the Board. “Since joining the Board, I’ve learned just how important Royal Columbian is to my neighbours and our region,” he notes. “It’s a bit of a well-kept secret in terms of breadth of services and geographical reach. It does so much more than a lot of people realize. There’s also an incredible culture here. People who work at the hospital are very proud. It’s inspiring.” In his time with the Foundation, Colin says he has seen the impact donors can make on the care of patients who are among the most seriously ill and injured in the province. “It has been an incredibly humbling experience,” he says. “It’s a reminder that it’s not about me. While I won’t meet the majority of people touched by the Foundation’s support of the hospital, I feel privileged that I can help in some way.” “ It was important to me to leave a future gift ” -Colin Galinski

To learn more about how you can support life-saving care at Royal Columbian Hospital with your legacy gift: Please contact - Catherine Cornish, Manager, Legacy and Community Giving Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation • Telephone: (604) 520-4902 • Email: catherine.cornish@fraserhealth.ca