National Reye's Syndrome Foundation's Gifting Site

Our free kits include information about Trusts, Estates, and Wills, including Health Care Power of Attorney information and sample wording and forms to use in designing your Gift Planning. These are simple guidelines and answers to most commonly asked questions about Gift Planning, and still, consulting an attorney will be of great benefit to you.

30 plus years ago, the National Reye’s Syndrome Foundation was created with a single purpose in mind… to fund research into finding the cause and a cure for Reye's Syndrome. What we found was a trigger for the syndrome in the form of salicylic acid. Our goal then was to alert parents and the medical community of the risks of aspirin products in regards to Reye's Syndrome in an attempt to save young lives. People and organizations across the United States stepped up to help us spread Awareness. We placed a noose around Reye's Syndrome and we reigned it in using Education. Using Awareness.

Education. Awareness. Reye's Syndrome isn’t Cancer, or Alzheimer's, it has not got a big well-known name where there is lots of money poured into research to develop drugs to combat the disease. No, Reye's Syndrome is far more devious and stealthy, far more horrendous, because Reye's Syndrome slinks in and mimics other childhood diseases such as meningitis, encephalopathy, sudden infant death syndrome, drug overdose. We battle a common, overly used, overly touted so-called ‘miracle’ drug known as aspirin, and we battle big pharmaceuticals who insist, even today, labeling it “baby” aspirin, or “children’s” aspirin.

Without a Guardian at the gate, who will teach the next generation of parents about Reye's Syndrome? Who will remind medical professionals to teach Reye's Syndrome in medical schools? Who will keep it at the forefront of people's minds during flu and chicken pox season? Who will continue to look out for those who cannot look after themselves? Who will step up and protect the children of today, and the children of tomorrow?

We worry about that. Reye's Syndrome has not gone away. And each time it steals a young life, grieving parents are confused and have no knowledge of the disease that took their precious child from them. Reye's Syndrome is still an enigma, a thing to be feared, a thing that needs to be taught until there is a cause and cure found; until Reye's Syndrome is eradicated, once and for all.

We need you to become a Guardian with us. We need you to include us in your Estate, Trust and Will. We need your great gift so we can save other precious children. Help us fight back at Reye's Syndrome. Let that be your Legacy for all time.

Q -What is Estate Planning?

• A - Estate planning is one of the most important steps any person can take to make sure that their final property and health care wishes are honored, and that loved ones and favorite causes are provided for in their absence. Though often overlooked or put off in favor of more immediate concerns, a comprehensive estate plan can resolve a number of legal questions that arise whenever anyone dies: What is the state of their financial affairs? What real and personal property do they own? Who gets what? Does a personal guardian need to be appointed to care for minor children? How much tax will need to be paid in order to transfer property ownership? What funeral arrangements are appropriate? What Charity cause(s) is/are a beneficiary?

Q -Why should I go to the trouble of planning my estate and writing a will?

• A - Estate planning pays real dividends in results achieved, in dollars saved, and, most important, in security and peace of mind. And it doesn't have to be expensive, traumatic, or even all that time consuming. An estate plan is your blueprint for where you want your property to go and what wishes you want carried out after you die. Your Estate Plan, or Will, becomes the Legacy you leave behind.

Q -Isn't an estate plan just for old people?

• A - Absolutely not. One glance at the news demonstrates that far too many young and middle-aged people die suddenly or become mentally or physically incapacitated. An estate plan can be tailored to anticipate both of these contingencies.

Q -Is there a way other than in my Will or Estate Plan to assist the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation?

• A - Yes, there is the gift of Life Insurance. You may own an insurance policy that has a substantial cash surrender value, yet the original purpose for the protection no longer applies. The policy might have been purchased initially to provide financial security for a spouse now deceased, to educate children now grown, or for liquidity to pay death taxes when liquid assets were in short supply. This policy can be a sort of hidden asset, available to be used for your philanthropic purposes.

  For a gift of a paid-up policy, the tax deduction is the cost of replacing the coverage with a comparable policy. The deduction cannot be greater than your net investment in the policy (total premiums paid less any dividends received). The charitable deduction is reduced by any outstanding balance of a policy loan, which may also be considered additional taxable income.

  To qualify for the federal charitable deduction on a gift of an existing policy, you must be sure to name the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation as owner and beneficiary.

  If premiums on the policy are still payable, there are two options to be considered. You may stipulate that the assignment of ownership of the policy at its current value is the total charitable gift, immediately available for our use. In that case, we might surrender the policy for cash. Or we might decide to accept an amount of paid-up insurance. In either case, you are relieved of the obligation to make further premium payments.

Q -How do I include the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation in my Will?

• A - You can include a General Bequest that provides a specific amount of money, a percentage of your estate or a certain piece of property, be given to the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation at the time of your death. The following sample language illustrates how a General Bequest to the NRSF might be phrased in your will or trust:
  I give, devise, and bequeath { ____%(percentage) or _________ (item) or $__________ (amount), of my Estate, after taxes and debts have been satisfied, to the NATIONAL REYE'S SYNDROME FOUNDATION, Inc, an OHIO 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, located in Bryan, Ohio.
• You can also include a Residual Bequest that designates that the remainder or balance of your estate goes to the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation after your will or trust has made gifts of money or property to your loved ones. The following sample language illustrates how a Residual Bequest to the NRSF might be phrased in your will or trust:
  I give, devise, and bequeath all the rest, residue, and remainder of my property, real, personal, or mixed; after all personal bequests have been made, to the NATIONAL REYE'S SYNDROME FOUNDATION, Inc, an Ohio 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, located in Bryan, Ohio.

Q -Are there ways to avoid federal estate taxes?