Dick and Betty Alexander made their first donation to Hillside in 1982 because they understood the importance of community organizations to the positive development of young people. According to Betty's second cousin Paul Wetenhall, "They were teenagers during the Great Depression years and, like most of their generation, that affected their outlook. They felt that their lives had been very comfortable and rich in friends and experiences."

After donating modest gifts each year, Dick and Betty helped usher in a new era of charitable giving at Hillside in 1995 when they expressed a desire to establish a charitable annuity. As a result of their interest, Hillside Children's Center created a Charitable Gift Annuity program. Between 1995 and 2004 the Alexanders purchased six charitable annuities totaling more than $105,000 to benefit Hillside. They also expressed their intention to help secure Hillside's future by becoming charter members of the Pinnacle Society.

Both Dick and Betty passed away in 2009 and disbursements of their charitable annuities and estates were completed recently. Thanks to their generosity and careful planning, Hillside received almost $750,000 to support Hillside Children’s Center’s Monroe Avenue campus renovations and asset-building initiative.

“This is a testament to not only the esteem in which Dick and Betty held Hillside Children’s Center, but to the power of planned giving,” says Hillside Children's Foundation President Tom Hildebrandt.

“Their six charitable annuities provided an income stream for Dick and Betty while they were alive and helped to ensure the future for the youth and families of Hillside. Careful estate planning also enabled them to support Hillside in an extraordinary way. Their gift leaves a legacy for our children and families forever.” According to Paul Wetenhall, the Rochester Salvation Army also benefited from Dick and Betty’s generosity and forethought in estate planning.

"Mr. & Mrs. Alexander's generosity and compassion were just incredible,” says Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving Christie Raymo. “As they understood, there are many creative ways to customize a planned gift to best benefit you and your loved ones situation.  In addition to charitable gift annuities, gifts of real estate, trusts, life insurance, and IRAs are some other options. What is remarkable about planned giving is that it enables people who might not think they have the resources to make a big gift to leave a substantial legacy." 

For more information, visit our Planned Giving page.