‘Time to Stop Thinking and Start Acting’
‘Time to Stop Thinking and Start Acting’
Legacy Challenge Prompts Planned Gift
Fifteen years ago, Ted Lawrence, MD, PhD, FASTRO, presented a report to the ASTRO Board of Directors from the Working Group tasked with developing a plan to launch a research and education foundation for ASTRO. The foundation, which was designed to raise the profile of radiation oncology and prepare the specialty for the future, would eventually become the Radiation Oncology Institute (ROI).
Dr. Lawrence led the way for the creation of the ROI. He became a generous supporter of the ROI in the beginning, headed a fundraising effort to build the endowment, and served on the ROI Board of Trustees from the time the Board was created in 2009 through 2020 in the roles of president of the Board, immediate past president and treasurer.
In 2020, Dr. Lawrence and his wife Wendy made a planned gift by designating a fraction of one of his retirement funds to the ROI. As that fund grows, the size of the gift will become larger.
When asked why he made this gift, Dr. Lawrence says, "Radiation oncology is a wonderful field in which we are able to help patients in need. We keep improving our ability to save lives and decrease suffering. By giving to the ROI, I will be able to support continued progress that will help patients in the future."
Dr. Lawrence says he had been thinking about such a gift for some time and that the current Legacy Challenge made him decide that "it was time to stop thinking and start acting!" "It is a wonderful feeling to think that I can have an impact on our progress as a field even after I am no longer here," he says.
Dr. Lawrence would tell others to consider a gift: "This was one of the easiest decisions we ever made. We are fortunate enough that we can leave money to our children but still make a gift to improve the lives of cancer patients even after we are gone."
He describes how planned giving can make a difference in funding research by referring to an old saying that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and the second-best time is now.
"It has been a privilege and an honor to serve as president and treasurer of ROI," says Dr. Lawrence. "It has given me the opportunity to serve our field and see firsthand how much energy and thought goes into each grant application and each award. I know that the money that I have already donated, and will donate through my planned gift, will be applied with great care to help our patients and raise the stature of radiation oncology and the radiation oncologist."
Like Dr. Lawrence and his wife Wendy, you can be part of our Legacy Challenge—and our future—with a planned gift. Contact Janet L. Hedrick at roi@astro.org or 703-839-7340 to learn more.
Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.