Finding Joy in Giving
As members of the clergy in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Reverends Bill and Mary Jacobs have built relationships with each director of church relations through the years at Chapman University. They have seen first-hand how Chapman changes the lives of students.
Bill and Mary were impressed with Chapman's driven student body, its strong presence as a Disciples and United Church of Christ affiliated institution, and its continuous growth expanding fields of studies. Additionally, their daughter, Lindsey, is a Chapman alumna and current employee, and they saw how Chapman helped Lindsey reach her goals and grow as a person.
Bill and Mary's legacy gift to the University supports the Office of Church Relations, and through it the Disciples on Campus (DOC) program. The program supports Disciples and United Church of Christ students by providing scholarships and a faith community at Chapman.
"We want to encourage DOC students to consider Chapman, and a scholarship can give an extra nudge to students where finance is a determining factor," said Mary.
Their goal is to help students receive a quality, well-rounded education that allows them to grow into caring and open-minded adults while not being dissuaded by high costs.
"We chose a beneficiary designation of commercial annuities because the assets are available to us if we need them. In addition, the assets can continue to grow and remain relevant to the outcome we're trying to achieve," said Bill.
Both Mary and Bill's passion for giving comes from a deep, faith-based gratitude. She believes one should live in abundance and share from that.
Bill attributes his desire to give to a family history of gratitude. Both his father and grandfather had a joy for giving and firmly believed people needed to give in order to live meaningfully.
"It is important to find joy in giving," said Bill. "It does not need to be painful to be effective. It is something that emerges from freedom as opposed to obligation."
Inspire Your Legacy
For information about creating your Chapman legacy, contact us.
- David B. Moore (M.A. '09), (714) 516-4590 or [email protected]
- Lindsey Jacobs '09 (M.A. '18), (714) 628-7311 or [email protected]
