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Give the gift of better health to future generations in your Will
A bequest to Garvan is a meaningful way to make a lasting impact on the health and lives of future generations. By supporting Garvan in your Will, you will be helping your loved ones as well as your friends and neighbours loved ones – now and in the future. When you include a gift in your Will to Garvan you are joining our family of honoured supporters who we call our ‘Partners for the Future’.
This current health crisis has highlighted the importance of medical research for all of us. A future bequest to our general endowment fund will help to ensure we can maintain a pool of accessible funds for research areas that are most in need, including potential health emergencies like COVID-19.
Will you become a Partner for the Future?
It's easy to make a bequest to the Garvan Institute and become a Partner for the Future. You can either include the bequest when you write your Will or simply add one as a codicil to your existing Will.
It's also important to talk to your loved ones about your intentions and let them know that leaving a gift to medical research is important to you. This can help to ensure that your intentions and wishes are carried out. You should seek professional advice from a legal adviser to ensure your wishes are recorded in a legally binding way. Download our Brochure for more information.
There are a number of ways you can make a bequest to Garvan:
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A residual gift which is a share or whole of your estate after providing for family and friends.
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A percentage of the overall value of your estate which allows for growth or depreciation in the value of your estate.
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A specified sum of cash. However, this does not allow for changes of circumstance or inflation.
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A gift of real estate, stocks, bonds, shares, artwork, jewellery etc.
Find more information on how to make a bequest, including how to choose a solicitor and online Will options.
Vale Bill Walker
18 May 1916 – 21 April 2022
In April we mourned the passing and celebrated the life of our wonderful Partner for the Future, Mr Bill Walker. He passed away just 26 days shy of his 106th birthday.
Bill was a dear friend and one of Garvan’s most passionate advocates and generous supporters.
He was a regular visitor and attended many of our seminars, morning teas and tours, always curious and excited by the research being undertaken and in awe of the amazing scientists he met.
Born in 1916, at 2 weeks old Bill had acute gastritis and wasn’t expected to live. With care from a doctor and his mother, he tells this story today with a chuckle, saying “Well anyway, here I am today, 105 years later”.
It was later found that Bill was also born with a congenital heart condition. He adds: “It is because of medical research that I am still here today. I've had a pacemaker for many years and just recently had it replaced; and I'm very grateful for the science and research that has gone to make it happen”.
Everybody wants to leave the world a better place
Garvan is a natural place of interest for Susanne and Peter, who both studied science at the University of Sydney. “We both went on to teach science; I was a teacher at a girls’ school and it has been my great pleasure to see several of the girls I taught go on to science careers as well.” says Susanne.
“We really like the way Garvan cares about people and the information we receive when we come here,” says Peter, “so we decided to become donors.”
“We also had a conversation with our daughter about wanting to leave a percentage of our Wills to Garvan as a cause we believe in. Because she works in research herself she understands how difficult it is to fund work through grants alone, so she was very supportive of our decision to become Garvan Partners for the Future,” says Susanne.
The greatest gift anyone can give is the gift of good health
Claire first came across Garvan when she helped set up a Workplace Giving Program with the Institute while she was Head of Human Resources (HR) for a major financial institution. She was so impressed by Garvan that when she retired from the bank she jumped at the chance do some voluntary work in the HR team at the Garvan Institute.
Nine years later, Claire is still volunteering for Garvan and has been a tremendous help working within HR and the Garvan Research Foundation.
By the time Claire was preparing her Will, she was very passionate about Garvan’s work. So, when deciding whom to leave a bequest to, she says, “Garvan was a foregone conclusion…they are doing wonderful work trying to both prevent and manage diseases.”
Contact
Contact Donna Mason, Bequest Manager if you would like more information about including a future gift in your Will to Garvan. Your enquiry will be treated confidentially and without any obligation.
Phone: (02) 9295 8559
Email: bequests@garvan.org.au
Confidential enquiry form (PDF)
Donna Mason
Bequest Manager & Partner for the Future
“I know the legacy I leave will help not only my family but everyone else’s too”