By Patricia Price
Last month, BGR Executive Director Kim Behan received an email from Free Will (an online service) informing her that someone had utilized their program to create a will that included BGR for a future estate gift. The donor had checked the box allowing them to inform us of this future gift and share his contact information. Given my professional background in charitable estate planning, Kim gave Free Will my number and they called me to identify the donor as Jason Padilla and provided me with his email. After sending him our most sincere thanks, Jason and I ended up having a wonderful phone conversation.
While he had not previously been a donor to BGR, he is a practicing Zen Buddhist who has studied Bhante’s (Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi’s) writings, which is how he learned of BGR. Raised in northern New Mexico, he moved to Nebraska a few years ago to be with his partner. In New Mexico the second most common faith is Buddhism, but Nebraska is a different world, deeply traditional and conservative. Jason had been a middle-school math teacher for six years, but then decided to earn his masters degree and potentially a doctorate to teach world religions at the college level. He is working on his Masters of Divinity at Naropa University, with a focus on Buddhism.
Like many people, Jason was prompted by COVID-19 to create a will “just in case.” He stressed that he leads a simple life and does not come from a wealthy background. However, he hopes his savings will eventually make a good gift, so after researching potential beneficiaries, he decided BGR was the best match. We are honored to be the only charity he included in his will.
Before we hung up, I asked Jason if he would consider writing a testimonial about his decision to name BGR in his estate plan. Without hesitation, he replied, “Yes, it would be an honor,” and within minutes he sent me the following:
“I’m Jason Padilla, a longtime Zen practitioner and public educator. I have been studying the Dharma for many years, and through my reading have come to treasure the works and translations of Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi. I am in awe of both his spiritual endeavors as a Buddhist monk and humanitarian, and his scholastic work as a translator and teacher.
“In the last two years, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, I knew it was time to confront the inevitability of my own death. Whether it be from the virus or from old age, I knew that I needed a plan for what happens after I am no longer around. In my extensive research I have found trust and integrity in the work of Ven. Bodhi, and in Buddhist Global Relief. I’m an average American and not an heir to any fortune. I live my life in relative moderation, but would still like to make a difference after I am gone.
“The charity of choice in my estate is Buddhist Global Relief because of the active, embodied care it extends throughout the world—feeding hungry children and giving them a future. I must admit that my estate will likely be small, but the efforts of my life will have a lasting and life-sustaining effect on the hungry and impoverished. My gift will help and feed many, but my wish is to sustain and care for all people and beings throughout the entire world.”
We are deeply grateful for this decision and hope that Jason’s story may prompt other BGR friends, like you, to consider including us for a future gift either through a bequest or by designating us as a beneficiary for a portion of a fund, trust, or life insurance policy. Please remember not all gifts to BGR need to be “out of pocket” during your lifetime. Whether large or small, the legacy you leave through future gifts will benefit the needy long after you are gone. We expect BGR to continue to thrive long into the future, and the gift you give by naming us as a beneficiary will directly benefit even more hungry people, give more poor girls the chance to attend school, and enable more women to start right livelihood projects to support their families.
If you would like to name BGR as a beneficiary through your will or other asset, or need more information on estate gift planning, contact me, Patricia Price, at: pricep@buddhistglobalrelief.org
Patricia Price is a BGR Board member and chair of BGR’s Projects Selection Committee.
