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Bernie Drake Memorial Donor Advised Fund Story

Bernie Williams Drake: Honoring a Loving Life

Bernie Drake Memorial Donor Advised Fund

 

Bernie Williams Drake came from a large, loving family and she spread love wherever she went. When she passed away suddenly in October 2023, she was just 64 years old. Her family was devastated. In the midst of making funeral plans and trying to decide what organization to encourage donations be made in her memory, one of Bernie’s nieces suggested a donor advised fund so the family would have more time to consider what organizations they wanted to support.

 

Bernie’s husband, Glenn, worked with the Catholic Foundation to establish a donor advised fund and included the online giving link in Bernie’s obituary. “Bernie was celebrated by all as an upbeat, well grounded, fun, and beautiful human. Intelligent, humble, always present and engaged, when you got to know Bernie you felt loved,” shared her family. In her memory, 69 donors gave to the fund, including family members, friends, sorority and fraternity members, companies, and more.

 

Glenn and his adult children plan to use the fund to make contributions to charities that were important to Bernie, including their parish: Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, and Misericordia in Chicago. The Bernie Drake Memorial Donor Advised Fund will continue to spread the love Bernie shared in her lifetime and extend the impact she had making others feel loved.

 

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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

From Coins to Scholarships for Catholic Education

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Endowment Fund

 

The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Endowment Fund was established by an anonymous donor in 2019. Her husband had recently passed away and had a large coin collection. “My husband started buying gold coins as an investment but soon enjoy the stories behind them,” she shared. She wanted to use the collection to make a difference in the community, but wasn’t sure what that could look like.

 

“A very good friend of mine told me of her great-grandson getting a partial scholarship from a fund at the Catholic Foundation, so I called them to help me,” the donor explained. “The staff at the Foundation handled the coins, had an appraisal done, and researched to find a saint that promoted education for children.”

 

In honor of her husband, she donated the coin collection and received a significant tax deduction. The coins were sold by the Foundation and the proceeds established an endowment fund that provides for five Catholic schools: Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School, St. Joseph’s Catholic School, St. Mary’s Academy, St. Mary’s Catholic School, and St. Peter Claver Catholic School.

 

The donor is happy to be able to see the impact her husband’s collection is now making on students in Catholic schools. “This was one of the best decisions that I have ever made,” she stated.

 

 

Give to the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Endowment Fund