When members of the Evans family decided to give HudsonAlpha a large gift, they chose a unique way to contribute. They decided to donate land.
The Evans family has deep roots in Huntsville. John Evans III, Steuart Evans, Adie Evans Fann and Ellen Evans Chorba are the children of one of Huntsville’s early prominent physicians, Dr. John Evans, Jr. They grew up in Huntsville and continue to be involved in the community.
That involvement includes a commitment to HudsonAlpha and its mission. Adie and Steuart both completed the Biotech 101 series and every member of the family supports HudsonAlpha’s important role in North Alabama.
“What HudsonAlpha is doing is unique worldwide,” said Adie Fann. “That’s why we wanted to make a significant gift to HudsonAlpha.”
Dr. Evans left his four children a piece of real estate in his will and the Evans family started thinking about donating the land to HudsonAlpha to financially support the Institute. However, they weren’t sure how to proceed. When they heard that HudsonAlpha was hosting a planned giving seminar in November, several members of the Evans family attended to learn more.
“Planned giving is a way to use estate and tax planning techniques to support nonprofit organizations. Examples of planned giving include donating real estate or investments, setting up an annuity or setting up a trust,” explained Karen Petersen, Director of Annual and Planned Giving at HudsonAlpha. During the seminar, attorney Scott Ludwig explained the benefits and mechanics of donating real estate to a nonprofit organization.
The Evans family moved forward and gifted their beautiful, undeveloped tract of land to HudsonAlpha. HudsonAlpha in turn will be able to sell the land to help fund all core missions.
“Why in the world would we want to donate it to anyone else?” asked John Evans. “We know HudsonAlpha will do great work with our gift.”
The Evans family encourages others who are interested in supporting HudsonAlpha to investigate planned giving options. In 2016, HudsonAlpha will host four planned giving seminars. The first is January 28.
To learn more about planned giving and how you can plan your estate to support HudsonAlpha, or to sign up for an upcoming seminar, contact Karen Petersen at kpetersen@hudsonalpha.org.
