Summer 2013 - Muskegon Community College

Leaving a Legacy at MCC, Easy as 1-2-3By Wayne Barrett, Vice President, Foundation for MCC Board of DirectorsIt can be very satisfying to leave alegacy. You demonstrate that youcare and want to be a part of thefuture even as you were a part ofthe illustrious past. It doesn’t haveto be difficult to make a gift thatcreates a wonderful legacy of caringand concern. Here are three easyways you can support the future ofMuskegon Community College.1. Give from your IRA or otherpension account. Simply nameMCC as a beneficiary of yourIRA, 401k or similar tax-deferredaccount and you will have assuredthat some of your assets willbenefit the college. One satisfyingadditional result from this strategyis that these assets permanentlyavoid taxation.2. Give unneeded life insurance.Many of us discover as we agethat the insurance we carry mayno longer be needed. Perhapsthe children are all grown or themortgage has been retired. Nowthose thousands of dollars inbenefits can be reallocated to othercurrent or future purposes. If youare certain you no longer needthe insurance, consider gifting thepolicy to MCC now and receive acurrent income tax deduction forthe cost or replacement value.3. Give and receive life income.With CD interest rates athistorically low rates, many of usare actively looking to increaseretirement income. One great wayto increase income may be througha life-income giving strategy suchas a charitable gift annuity orcharitable remainder trust. Each ofthese instruments provide incomefor life, often at substantially higherrates than bonds or CDs, and offera current charitable income taxdeduction for a gift the college willnot receive until your death. Lifeincomegiving may provide sometax-free income as well. Contactthe MCC Foundation office formore information about givingwhile retaining income from yourgifts.FMCC can help you decide whichplanned giving strategy makes themost sense for you. Contact ustoday and we can help you leave anMCC legacy. •John G. Thompson College and Community Fund is “TOPS”By Trynette Lottie Harps, Dean Of Continuing Education and Program OutreachThe T.O.P.S. Program was developedto provide a higher education learningexperience for non-traditional highschool students. T.O.P.S. standsfor Tackling Obstacles, PossessingSuccess and this is true for manystudents in Alternative Educationespecially when you add life tothe formula. Alternative andCommunity Education desired achallenge for their students whowere motivated and had displayedsuccess.Thanks to support from the John G.Thompson College and CommunityFund, Muskegon Community Collegewas able to accept the challenge anddevelop a program to meet thatspecific need.continued on page 19Orchard View Alternative Education students Ricky Reyes, ArielMelgoza and Martha Sanchez have participated this year in MCC’sTOPS Program taking courses to prepare them for college.12 Summer 2013 | muskegoncc.edu