It’s not too often that an organization believes they received a gift too soon. Such is the case, however, with a gift received recently at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
The community was shocked and saddened when Elaine Stoller was tragically killed by a drunk driver at the corner of Grant and Waverley on December 2, 2008. She was a friend to many, a pleasure to know and a joy to be with.
In 1989, Elaine’s husband Leonard, a well-known Winnipeg chartered accountant, passed away and she was left a widow with three young sons.
In 1994, Elaine became a founding member of the Women’s Endowment Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. Knowing the sudden turns life could take, and understanding the impact of endowing causes you care about, she decided to put her affairs in order. She purchased a life insurance policy with the beneficiary being the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. This was a unique gift in a number of ways: she was young, she was a woman, she chose charitable life insurance as the means to make her gift, and she made the first legacy gift endowing the Women’s Endowment Fund.
Elaine felt very gratified with the arrangements she had made, and was happy to be a spokesperson for the Foundation, particularly on the topic of charitable life insurance. In 2007, she was filmed for a Foundation promotional video where she clearly and thoughtfully explained why she had made this gift, and what it meant to her.
The Stoller family is proud of the gift Elaine made to her community and has approved disclosure of the details. Elaine paid $25,000 for her policy and the proceeds totalled $163,812!
According to Elaine’s wishes, this gift has been divided equally between the Women’s Endowment Fund, Jewish Child and Family Service and the Rady Jewish Community Centre, all endowment funds housed at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. These were three organizations that Elaine loved and her support of them will continue in perpetuity. What a wonderful legacy!
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