Why We Give

Coming Full Circle
It's funny how life works, how a serendipitous choice to come to SUNY Fredonia in 1970 fueled my lifelong connection to music and desire to give back to the school nearly 50 years later. I chose Fredonia for three excellent reasons in my teenage mind: the college had a very good women's tennis team, it was in my National Ski Patrol area in Western New York and SUNY's in-state tuition would make it possible to afford a junior year abroad in Austria. A fourth reason quickly surfaced: the lure of the School of Music.
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Inspired to Give Back
Designating Communication majors as recipients of a scholarship they created through the Fredonia College Foundation was a "no-brainer" for Rich and Pam (Chase) Ryan. Both graduates, from the classes of '86 and '87, respectively, majored in Communication. And upon reflecting on their lives over the last two decades, Rich and Pam credit their Fredonia education for career success that ultimately led both to become entrepreneurs.
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Sharing Your Legacy
Everyone has a story to tell, and this one proves how important it is to pay it forward. “It’s all about sharing the journey” is one remark you will hear when you meet Carol “Stash” Stanley. The charismatic founder of STASH Sporting Goods and LaceLocker ® was honored in 2010 with Fredonia’s Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award.
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Helping Students Achieve Their Dreams
"I came to Fredonia as a quiet, small-town girl and found my voice,” Carol Ward, ’81, explains. She went on to say, “Fredonia has always meant so much. The people there took a little country girl from Ravena, New York, and made her more outspoken, more targeted and actually a more happily fulfilled young lady.”
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Fredonia Shapes Educator's Success
Early in her teaching career, Laura Cirrincione knew that the "Fredonia experience" prepared her well to become a successful teacher. So she didn't hesitate beginning to "pay it forward" to benefit Fredonia's future teacher candidates.
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Passing the Torch — Keeping the Passion Burning
Helen Johnson, a graduate of the class of 1952, left her mark as an elementary teacher for 35 years in Kenmore, Orchard Park and Hamburg, N.Y. Helen retired as an elementary educator in 1985, but she continued to teach others throughout her life.
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We All Have One Life to Live, Love and Leave
A native of Collins, N.Y., Bob Young was a mechanic at Bethlehem Steel for nearly 20 years and also worked as a field superintendent for Herbert F. Darling Inc., a construction company based in Williamsville, until his retirement in 1989. He was a decorated U.S. Army veteran who earned the rank of sergeant and was stationed in the South Pacific during World War II.
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Charting a Course for Generations of Students
Few people, if any, have had a longer and more enduring association with Fredonia than Charles "Chuck" Notaro. Soon after graduating from Fredonia High School in 1964, Chuck enrolled as a Psychology major, began working part time in the bookstore and never left the campus for the next 47 years until retiring as associate vice president and executive director of the Faculty Student Association.
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Embracing 'the Spirit of Fredonia'
Dallas Beal was president of Fredonia during the time of my arrival on campus as an undergraduate and throughout my graduate studies.
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A Cause Close to Her Heart
In 2009, Dr. Estelle Crino visited the Fredonia campus to attend an event honoring her mentor, Dr. Robert Heichberger. As an innovative leader, a beloved professor emeritus, executive assistant to the university president for 10 years and a longtime Fredonia College Council member, Dr. Heichberger had launched the Heichberger Family and Scholars of Leadership Endowment Fund to strengthen school leadership training.
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Dr. James, '52, and Mary Ann Schnur
Life is about giving and receiving gifts. Gifts that provide significant springboards during our lives are especially noteworthy. Such gifts last beyond the givers' and receivers' lives. Such is the case with the Winifred Budd Elementary Education Scholarship — a living remembrance of a special woman and alumna of Fredonia.
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Theodore Frazeur and Chris Granger, '66
In the summer of 2009, I became involved with fellow Fredonia alumni and friends to bring the Theodore Frazeur Percussion Scholarship to full endowment. In the process, I worked with the Fredonia College Foundation and communicated with many alumni that had been under the direction of Theodore Frazeur, the now-retired founder of the School of Music's percussion program.
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Larger Than Life
Robert "Bob" Gloor was pleased to provide a leadership gift to Fredonia's Department of Theatre and Dance during the campus' first capital campaign, which began in 1995.
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A Teacher's Support Comes From the Heart
As a teacher who enjoyed a 33-year career, Willetta Swanson understands the importance of a college education. Willetta taught elementary school from the time she graduated from Fredonia in 1946 until her retirement in 1980.
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One Couple's Desire to Do Real and Permanent Good
Annmarie (Woloszyn), '70, and Alan Nichter, '69, met at Fredonia as counselors during the 1968 Summer Freshman Orientation Program. They held fond memories, but had not been back to campus for some time. And then, as Alan writes, their relationship with Fredonia was energized…
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"Indeed I Was Here..."
As I enjoyed my retirement years basking in the Florida sun, I eventually realized I had to sit down and take stock of my life. I had to come to terms with what must be done with my estate and since there were no family members to consider in my will, an alternative plan had to be devised.
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Remembering "the People Who Propelled Me"
Ralph Serpe, ’85, a philanthropic advisor, maintains a strong emotional connection to the people of Fredonia after following his sister Carole- Lynn, ’82, to western New York from their family’s North Babylon home on Long Island.
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An Open Letter to Fellow Alumni: Dr. Robert A. Hagstrom, '64
My desire to give to Fredonia has grown throughout my adult life, as I have become increasingly aware of how profoundly individuals at Fredonia influenced my life. I so wish that other undergrads, uncertain about their majors and futures, could have the same experiences—in their own unique ways, of course.
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Class of 1930 Graduate Still Supports, Celebrates Her Alma Mater
Some people have it all, and some people appreciate what they have. Margaret Shuler Wyckoff, Class of 1930, is one of the latter. As one of those special few who truly know how to make the most of what life has offered to her, she has been able to enrich the lives of countless students.
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Helping Students Realize Dreams
Chances are you will find few individuals more supportive of Fredonia and the Fredonia/Dunkirk community than Ann and Doug Manly. A desire to share their good fortune with the community that has been such an important part of their lives has led to them making a very special gift to the Fredonia College Foundation.
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Compelled to Share...
Olga Cielnicky Leone wanted to be an elementary school teacher. When she began her search for the right college, she sent letters to institutions across New York State, knowing that she came from an immigrant family of modest means and would have to work part time to support her dream.
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Our Time to Serve
When my husband, Tony, and I retired, we were looking forward to spending time traveling, visiting grandchildren and continuing to enjoy our Fredonia home. Before spending our first winter months in Florida, we decided to update our legal papers.
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Perpetuating the Gift of Education
I have been a part of University Advancement and the Fredonia College Foundation for two and a half years. Throughout that time, I have met with alumni all over the country.
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Leaving a Legacy
In life, Dorothy (Lockwood) Anderson was a model of all that Fredonia can be. She made the most of her time on campus, then took the lessons she learned as a student and used them to earn personal fulfillment while delivering joy to countless others in the western New York community.
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Passing On the Fredonia Experience
Carol Scorsone cherishes the years she attended Fredonia and proudly says they have had a longstanding and significant impact on her, even though she has degrees from other SUNY schools. "I have always looked back on my time at Fredonia (1978 to 1980) with great affection. It opened up a whole new world for me."
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A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to the Fredonia College Foundation a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

"I give to the Fredonia College Foundation, a nonprofit corporation currently located at Fredonia, NY, or its successor thereto, ______________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose."

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

the growth in value of an asset like stock or real estate since the original purchase

the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

a written and properly witnessed legal change to a will

the person named in a will to manage the estate, collect the property, pay any debt, and distribute property according to the will

A donor advised fund is an account that you set up but which is managed by a nonprofit organization. You contribute to the account, which grows tax-free. You can recommend how much (and how often) you want to distribute money from that fund to Fredonia or other charities. You cannot direct the gifts.

An endowed gift can create a new endowment or add to an existing endowment. The principal of the endowment is invested and a portion of the principal’s earnings are used each year to support our mission.

Tax on the growth in value of an asset—such as real estate or stock—since its original purchase.

Securities, real estate or any other property having a fair market value greater than its original purchase price.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property or undeveloped land.

A charitable remainder trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for life or a period not exceeding 20 years from assets you give to the trust you create.

You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to Fredonia as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to Fredonia as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and Fredonia where you agree to make a gift to Fredonia and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.
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