On this
page:
The facts about why
we need your help | The
Opportunity | The Words
for your Will that are so important | The
Gift | The Future | The
Bequest | The Options | A
special thank you
The
facts about why we need your help
Arthritis and other forms of musculoskeletal disease
are one of the single, most prevalent diseases
in Australia today. There are over 120 different
types of arthritis. These often chronic, long term diseases affect
25% of the Australian population. For more than
30 years, the Arthritis Foundation of New South
Wales has been driven by a vision to improve
the quality of life of people with arthritis,
osteoporosis
and other musculoskeletal conditions.
The Arthritis Foundation of New South Wales services
are highly effective in preventing disability,
promoting self management, increasing independence
and supporting the efforts of carers.
The Arthritis Foundation of New South Wales support
and education programs hold the key to improved
quality of life for the many thousands of men,
women and children living with arthritis and
related diseases.
Research holds the key to more effective treatments.
By remembering the Arthritis Foundation of New
South Wales in your Will, you can play a part
in finding a cure for these debilitating diseases.
 The opportunity
Thirty years ago, people in New South Wales with
arthritis had little access to the support and
information needed to maximise independence and
minimise the debilitating pain of their disease.
Today, thanks in part to the benefactors of the
past who remembered us in their Will, the Arthritis
Foundation of New South Wales provides an umbrella
of care that is a refuge to people struggling
to overcome their arthritis.
The
words for your Will that are so important
Here is suggested wording for making a bequest:
“ I devise and bequeath - the whole/a
percentage/the residue of my estate to the
Arthritis Foundation of New South Wales. A
receipt from the Treasurer of the said Foundation
shall be sufficient discharge for the same”
The gift
A bequest is a gift that keeps on giving long
after you are able to do so personally.
It is the ultimate, selfless gift.
Many generous supporters of the Arthritis Foundation
of New South Wales have honoured their memory
- and their passion for our cause - by remembering
the Arthritis Foundation of New South Wales in
their Will.
A gift made in your Will to a charitable organisation
is called a bequest. For organisations like the
Arthritis Foundation of New South Wales, bequests
play a vital role in enabling us to take a major
step forward in the fight against arthritis.
For many of
us, a bequest provides the key to realising our
dream to make a significant gift
to a cause
close to our heart… the kind of gift many
of us are unable to make during our lifetime.
The future
 Before deciding to leave a bequest, people want
to know how it will help, how they will be touching
the future through their Will.
Monies received from bequests such as that from
the estate of Marion Ruth Hood helped the Arthritis
Foundation of New South Wales design and publish
the booklet ‘Your Self Help Guide to Arthritis
Management.’
Another bequest from the estate of George Maurice
McGill annually assists our education department
in their work of running Arthritis Self Help
Courses and seminars and giving talks to community
groups.
Every bequest helps us to continue to expand
our services into new and exciting areas and
to show
people with arthritis that they do not have to
live in pain.
Every bequest is welcome and appreciated.
The bequest
Here are some things you should know before you
consider making a bequest.
Everyone over the age of 18 - regardless of the
size of their assets – should have a legal
Will.
People who die intestate (without leaving a Will)
can cause unintentional emotional and financial
hardship for those they leave behind. If you
die without leaving a Will, your assets will
be distributed
according to law – regardless of how well
known your intentions are.
A valid Will is a legally-enforceable document
which names the people and/or organisations you
nominate to receive your assets when you die,
as well as the nominated guardians of any dependent
children. Assets include everything you own such
as property, vehicles, funds held in bank accounts,
household goods, jewellery and so on.
You can change your Will at any time - and you
should revise it to reflect changing circumstances
(i.e. the death of a beneficiary; marriage; divorce;
a change in financial status).
Your first priority when preparing your Will
is to provide for the immediate needs and future
security
of your family, relatives and perhaps friends.
The balance of the estate after all specified
provisions have been met is referred to as the ‘residue’,
and many generous people look to this residue
to provide special bequests to charitable causes
close
to their heart.
A bequest (also referred to as a ‘legacy’)
is a gift nominated in your Will.
If you already have a Will and wish to include
a bequest to the Arthritis Foundation of New
South Wales, you should contact your solicitor
or trust
officer. If the bequest is reasonably straight
forward, your legal adviser may suggest you simply
add a codicil (addendum) specifying the terms
of the bequest. You may however, be advised to
amend
your existing Will.
The options
 A bequest is a deeply personal gift. Benefactors
are able to express their support in the manner
they feel most appropriate.
There are several options for leaving a bequest
- it can be in the form of:
- A specified sum of cash. This does not allow
for changes of circumstance or inflation.
- A percentage of the overall value of your
estate which allows for growth or depletion
of the value
of your estate.
- A gift of real
estate An investment. This includes stocks,
bonds, shares,
artwork, jewellery etc.
- A residual gift which is a share or whole
of your estate after providing for family and
friends.
Your will is the most important document you
will ever sign. Your intentions today will have
a lasting
impact on the future and security of your loved
ones and any organisation you wish to benefit
from your last expression of generosity.
Ring Arthritis NSW CEO Philip Hopkin on 1800
011 041 if you have any questions or wish to
receive a copy of this information as a hard
copy brochure.
A special 'thank you'
 We
would like to make special mention of Mrs Van
Peters, whose recent bequest in memory of her
husband increased our charity's financial security.
In honour of this bequest, we have named our
office premises Van Peters Cottage. The $30000
annual grant to Westmead Rheumatology Unit has
been renamed the Van Peters Research Grant.
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