Generous Bequest Furthers Samaritan Center’s Mission in Lancaster County
Samaritan Center recently received a large bequest from the estate of Audrey Walker Warfield. A portion of this funding will be designated towards several projects, such as building repairs and carpet installation, and will equip the Center to further its mission to empower the people and organizations of Lancaster County. Mrs. Warfield’s generosity and forethought will not only benefit the Samaritan Center, but it will also allow other notable local non-profits to continue their important work in our community.
Samaritan Center was founded in 1989 by a group from Highland Presbyterian Church, whose goal was to establish an interfaith counseling center that would make its services accessible to all. As the Center has grown and expanded its services and offerings over the past three decades, it has remained true to its mission. The Center offers subsidies to individuals and families who are unable to afford the full fee for counseling, providing more than 12,000 counseling sessions per year. As a nonprofit, Samaritan Center is thankful for the generosity of its donors: through monthly, year-end, and legacy giving.
Born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1920, Mrs. Warfield attended Douglas College and Rutgers University, and later served in the Navy (Women’s Reserve) in World War II as a Linked Trainer Instructor. Her career also spanned several positions as a librarian, executive secretary and editor, and elementary teacher in Bound Brook and East Brunswick, New Jersey. Throughout her life, Mrs. Warfield supported charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Heifer International, Parkinson’s Disease Research, and the Boys and Girls Club of Lancaster. She was also a member and supporter of First Presbyterian Church in Lancaster. Before she passed away, she met with her pastor and close friend, Rev. Dr. Randy Riggs, to seek advice about her estate. Randy spoke highly of Samaritan Center’s mission and their faith-based approach to counseling. Mrs. Warfield was impressed by all that Randy shared, and opted to include the Center as one of the charitable organizations in her will. Other recipients of the estate are First Presbyterian Church, the Church World Service, the Parkinson’s Foundation, Habitat for Humanity International, Doctors Without Borders, Heifer International, the Lancaster County Council of Churches Food Hub, and the United Way of Lancaster. 50% of her estate residual, after making gifts to family members, was divided equally between these charitable organizations. Mrs. Warfield’s heart for helping others will have an incredible and lasting impact on Lancaster County and beyond – and her legacy will live on through the work to strengthen and empower our local community.
It’s never too early to think about your own legacy! Samaritan Center has several options available for legacy giving.
• Gifts by Bequest: A gift to Samaritan can be included in your will. This type of gift can be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or Samaritan Center can be named as a remainder of your estate after all specific bequests are fulfilled.
• Life Insurance: While there are many different types of life insurance, the principle of making a charitable gift remains the same. If you name Samaritan Center as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy, a relatively small percent will ultimately provide a much larger gift in the future.
• Charitable IRA Distribution Gifts: A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) allows individuals who are 70 ½ years or older to donate up to $100,000 to one or more charities directly from a taxable IRA instead of taking their required minimum distributions.
We encourage you to consult your financial advisor to determine which gift vehicle is right for you. You can also contact Anita Hanna, Director of Development, at ahanna@samaritanlancaster.org, or 717-560-9969, ext. 244. For more information on Samaritan Center, we invite you to visit www.samaritanlancaster.org
