A special way to let your passion live on

Did you know that one of the most creative ways to give for the future is through a Gift of Life Insurance?

It’s easy. And here’s how David Howatt did just that.

David wanted to make a gift to support the life’s work of his wife, Anne Lambert.

“Anne was a dynamic, youthful instructor,” he says. She knew every student by name and had a contagious passion for textiles. She touched countless students’ lives and helped build the U of A’s clothing and textiles collection—an educational trove of over 23,000 artifacts, some dating back to the 17th century and earlier.

To recognize her work, the department renamed the collection in her honour. And David did the same, by making a gift that will support the collection into the future. After speaking with a member of the University of Alberta’s Planned Giving team, David discovered the many practical benefits of making a Gift of Life Insurance.

David and Anne found themselves in a position where they no longer needed their life insurance policy. But, of course, cancelling it would mean cutting off access to the equity it had accumulated. By transferring ownership of the policy to the University—and making the clothing and textiles collection a beneficiary—David could ensure that we put the funds towards a cause close to his wife’s heart. Plus, he received a charitable tax receipt for the policy’s fair market value and will continue to receive annual charitable tax receipts for all future premium payments.

Of course, David’s gift will help ensure that Anne’s contributions to clothing and textiles’ study live on. Today, the Anne Lambert Clothing and Textiles Collection provides students with unique hands-on learning opportunities. They get to do things like examine the constructions of 18th-century gowns or curate exhibitions about eyewear history. “I’m very pleased with the collection,” says David. “It’s what she loved.”

As you can see, David’s Gift of Life Insurance will benefit U of A students for years to come. If you’d like to learn more about how you can give a Gift of Life Insurance to U of A students, Kathy Fitzgerald and her colleagues would love to hear from you.