Barbara Fairfax has found charitable gift annuities to be a great vehicle for supporting her passions.
Adventurous traveler, independent spirit and longtime volunteer Barbara Fairfax is also a Hoag gift planning donor. This retired elementary school teacher who logged 32 years teaching grades K-6 in Alhambra city schools regularly takes on the world-last year, she enjoyed five international trips along with several shorter jaunts across the United States. From national parks to city excursions to mystery tours, she is up for anything.
A travel lover from a very young age, Barbara is constantly on the move. "Every year, my travel buddy and I spread brochures out across her kitchen table and plan our trips," laughs Barbara. "I have something going on almost every month. If you love to go, you need to do it."
A native of upstate New York, Barbara was traveling through Europe in 1964 when she met an older, childless couple from San Marino, Calif., who invited her to visit stateside. After falling in love with the Golden State, a determined young Barbara moved cross country in 1967 after completing her master's degree. She married Chuck Fairfax in 1971 and settled in Huntington Beach. Fifteen years her senior, Chuck suffered from a chronic heart condition and passed away in 1992.
Generous Soul
Impressed with the care Chuck received and with the kindness she was shown by nurses and staff, Barbara felt that supporting Hoag was the right thing to do.
"I think it's important to support your local assets such as Hoag at whatever level you can," she shares. "Everyone can give something, whether it's time or money or both. It's the perfect marriage because it benefits the giver and the hospital."
Over the past seven years, Barbara has funded seven charitable gift annuities through the Hoag Hospital Foundation. Her gifts, upon maturity, will support the Joan & Andy Fimiano Emergency Pavilion, Women's Health Institute, the Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart and Vascular Institute and Hoag Health Center-Huntington Beach, among others.
Charitable gift annuities are a great vehicle for supporting her passions, and they also provide tax-favored income. "People ask me what giving to Hoag through a gift annuity is all about," she says. "I tell them to call and ask questions. The people at the Hoag Hospital Foundation are very helpful and kind."
Barbara is also a longtime Hoag Auxiliary volunteer with a regular weekly shift in The Gift Box gift shop at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach when she's in town. "I love meeting people and working with the other volunteers who are so dedicated and give so much of themselves," she says. "Giving back is such a nice experience."
Learn More
If you would like more information about gift planning or how a charitable gift annuity could work for you, please contact Julie Heggeness, JD, CSPG at 949-764-7206 or [email protected] today. We would be happy to help you find the gift that's right for you, at no obligation.
