The Care He Witnessed Inspired a Lasting Gift
Few people have experienced ThriveMore from as many perspectives as Maurice Briggs: as a son, a chaplain and now a resident. He knows the good being done every day, and so he’s included the Baptist Retirement Homes Foundation in his estate plans.
October is National Estate Planning Awareness Month and to celebrate we’re highlighting donors like Maurice. He’s joined the ranks of others in the Mustard Seed giving society — people who have chosen to leave a portion of their assets as a gift to the Foundation.
Maurice first decided to include the Foundation in his estate plans after his mother spent her last few years of life at Brookridge in Winston-Salem. He saw the consistent compassionate care provided for her day in and day out by the team and knew it was something special.
"This place is deeply dedicated to the welfare of residents and their family,” he said.
Near the end of her time at Brookridge, Maurice’s mother ran out of funds and the Foundation stepped in to continue supporting her until the end. And she’s not the only one who the Foundation has supported in a similar way throughout the years.
Because of donor-supported benevolence funds, residents who outlive their financial resources can continue receiving care in certain circumstances rather than facing a disruptive move during a vulnerable season of life.
Maurice also got to experience a ThriveMore community from the perspective of a team member, serving as the Brookridge chaplain for 10 years before retiring at 80. Then, when it was time for him and his wife to move to a retirement community, the choice was a simple one: to return to Brookridge as a resident.
Now, Maurice enjoys the care of the team himself. After Maurice and his wife moved to Brookridge as residents, a team member stopped him and asked whether he remembered her.
She had cared for his mother.
For Maurice, it was a powerful reminder that the culture of compassion he witnessed years earlier was still alive and well.
He’s thankful he now has the opportunity to support ThriveMore’s mission by including the Foundation in his estate plans. Planned gifts can take many forms, including beneficiary designations, wills, trusts and other estate planning tools. These gifts allow supporters to make a lasting impact while often preserving their financial flexibility during their lifetime.
Maurice set up a charitable remainder trust with several beneficiaries that are near and dear to his and his wife’s heart, including the Baptist Retirement Homes Foundation.
"I felt not only relief, but also gratitude and a sense of genuineness and the responsibility that I've made with the money that I had,” he said of the decision. “It was a both-and event. It helped me some, but it really helped those that my wife and I both loved and cared about."
Maurice gets emotional talking about philanthropy. He hopes others will consider the impact they want to leave behind.
Having experienced Brookridge as a family member, a team member and now a resident, he has seen firsthand how donor generosity helps sustain ThriveMore's mission.
“The value system and the integrity of it was here to stay, and I wanted to contribute to its financial stability with what I had to give,” Maurice said.
Gifts like Maurice’s help ensure that ThriveMore will continue to be able to provide quality care to its residents for years to come. The Foundation will give out more than $4 million in funds either helping to care for older adults, supporting the team members who make this possible or resourcing the communities where ThriveMore serves older adults.
To learn more about including the Baptist Retirement Homes Foundation in your estate plans, visit our Giving page or contact the Foundation team.