Remembering Karuna with a gift in your Will

Keep Karuna caring with a Gift in Your Will

 

How your gift helps Karuna support more families.

Gifts in Wills come in all shapes and sizes but regardless of the amount, each gift will allow Karuna to make a real difference to the lives of the people we support.

Your gift will play a vital role in ensuring Karuna continues to improve the lives of future generations with specialist, home-based palliative care and will be directed to our core service areas which may include:

Specialist nursing care: palliative care and compassionate support for people living with terminal illness and their carers.

Grief and bereavement support: essential pre and post death counselling for clients and their families.

Spiritual care: spiritual support and guidance for people of any denomination faced with the end of life and loss.

Education and training: Karuna provides specialist education programs for our palliative care support volunteers.

 

My Gift – Joanne’s Story

Karuna stepped in and helped Joanne Edgar when she needed it most. And now she is giving a gift to Karuna in her Will. This is Joanne’s story. “My experience with Karuna was life changing in the most surprising way. My mother had suffered with breast cancer for over 14 years, from age 50, but it wasn’t until she was in the final stages that I was introduced to Karuna.

I moved in with my mum for her final months to enable her to be at home for as long as possible. Caring for mum was something I wanted to do but it was hard – both physically and emotionally. On a regular trip to mum’s GP for prescriptions, he noticed how exhausted I was and suggested I get help. Karuna arrived and were only with me for my mum’s last eight days but I felt they saved my life.

Karuna nurses came every morning to help with medication, shower mum, provide care and spend time with her. I felt supported, safe and cared for by a
wonderful, compassionate team for the first time since mum became sick. When I offered to pay, they explained there was no charge.

I had never experienced such unconditional generosity and compassion before and this changed my life course in ways I never imagined.

In those final days, I made a commitment that I would help Karuna. I hoped that someone else could experience what I had. Karuna offered a real lifeline when I needed it.

I help out at Karuna when I can but life can get in the way, so that’s why I have decided to make a bequest in my Will to Karuna. I know how much the service relies on the generosity of donors to continue their work.

I hope my final gift will enable Karuna to continue helping people facing terminal illness long after I’m gone – with care, compassion and kindness to clients, carers and families. In a very small way I feel like I am a part of that.”

 

Three easy steps to preparing your Will

We fully appreciate there are many things to consider when deciding to leave a gift in your Will to Karuna. After you have made provision for your loved ones, a percentage of your estate will go a long way towards supporting our work.

Step 1: Consider how you would like your assets to be distributed. Speak with your family and loved ones about your wishes to ensure that you make adequate provision for them in your Will. If you would like to consider a gift to Karuna in your Will there are a number of ways you can do this.

Residual Bequest
A residuary bequest is a gift in your Will to Karuna consisting of a percentage or the remainder of your estate after your family and friends have been provided for and all taxes and other expenses have been paid.

Pecuniary Bequest
A gift to Karuna which is a fixed sum of money or defined asset/s such as real estate or shares, designated in your Will.

Step 2: Contact your solicitor. We encourage you to seek independent advice from your solicitor or other specialist Will writer. They will ensure that all legal requirements are met, giving you peace of mind that your wishes will be carried out. You might want to take this booklet along as it has all the information your solicitor will need.

Step 3: Let Karuna know about your gift to us. We would love the opportunity to thank you for your kind gesture and to stay in regular contact with you if you wish.

 

Wording your Will

Should you choose to leave a gift to Karuna, we suggest the following wording as a guide.

“I give, devise and bequeath free of all duties and charges . . . (description of gift) to The Karuna Hospice Service Ltd (ABN 28 0555 211473) PO Box 2020 Windsor 4030 in the State of Queensland, for the general charitable purpose thereof and I declare that the receipt of the Secretary or Honorary Treasurer
of the said service shall be sufficient discharge to my trustees” Where it says “description of gift” you could put, for example:

  • A portion of your estate, which would be a percentage of your estate; or
  • The whole of the residue (would normally only apply if you have no children or other dependents), as a residuary gift; or
  • A specified sum of money or specific items (such as investments, real estate, artwork, jewellery or equipment)
  • (An optional statement) The reason I am making this bequest to Karuna Hospice Services is because.. (please identify your connection with Karuna).

A gift in your Will to Karuna ensures that your generosity and kindness lives on in the care that we will be able to give others at the time when they need us the most.

Leaving a gift in your Will is a meaningful way to make a difference in the lives of those diagnosed with a terminal illness. Thank you for giving careful thought to what is a very important decision for you and your family.

Request our guide to making a gift in your Will





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