A Smart and Simple Gift Plan Supports Students in Business College
Recognizing a familiar determination in first-generation students, Tom and Nancy Arata are creating opportunities for business students to pursue their degrees.
As first-generation college students, Tom and Nancy Arata were determined to get their degrees, no matter the obstacles.
Decades later, they see that same drive in many first-generation students at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS). “They juggle work, families, classes, homework, exams. Their willpower speaks to us,” says Tom, ’87 MBA.
A desire to support them—a present-day reflection of Tom and Nancy’s college experience—compelled the couple to create an estate gift to benefit the existing Thomas and Nancy Arata Family Scholarship Fund. The fund helps junior- or senior-year students in the College of Business at UCCS bridge the tuition gap so they can successfully pursue their degrees.
The Aratas created the gift by naming UCCS as one beneficiary of their donor advised fund (DAF). Their estate plan provides for loved ones first, with its residual passing to their DAF to be dispersed to selected charities, including UCCS.
“It made life easier for us and the executor of our estate because our DAF is an efficient giving vehicle,” Nancy says.
Knowing the quality of education in the business school assures Tom and Nancy that they’ve made a smart investment.
“The foundation of even considering this gift is knowing that the product is good. Students have made a choice for their education that’s a really good one.”
We’re happy to work with you to create a gift that, like the Aratas’, provides for loved ones and supports UCCS students and their bright futures. Contact the Office of Gift Planning at 303-541-1229 or giftplanning@cu.edu to learn more.