Ruth Levine’s generosity to the Jewish community and especially to JCFS Chicago was legendary. She passed away in December 2015 at the age of 85, but years before that she made charitable gift decisions that gave her quarterly payments for the rest of her life by establishing Charitable Gift Annuities.

Ruth particularly wanted to support adults with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD).

“Her interest in this stemmed from a friend whose son had I/DD,” explained Rose Jagust, Vice President of Donor Advised Programs at the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, who helped Ruth with her philanthropic planning.

“The friend moved to Florida, where her son lived independently with an aide. Seeing this, Ruth became a strong supporter of independent living for adults with I/DD.”

Ruth learned about the work JCFS was doing in Chicago. She visited a JCFS home for adults with I/DD and was impressed. Residents there and at similar JCFS homes are thriving as they take responsibility for their lives.

This visit and ongoing updates led to her establishment of several Charitable Gift Annuities to benefit not only this important program but the work of JCFS in general.

“Ruth will be missed by the Chicago Jewish community, and certainly by JCFS,” said Howard Sitron, former JCFS Chicago President and Chief Executive Officer. “You could always count on her to tell it like it was! Ruth can only be described as one of a kind. Her generosity of spirit and financial support for those served by JCFS and other local Jewish communal agencies was huge. She was particularly passionate about our services for adults with developmental disabilities, and visited our group homes to find out for herself how these programs worked. Ruth’s planned giving will continue to provide support services for people with disabilities for generations to come. It was truly an honor to know her.”

Rose said Ruth had a strong cultural identity with the Jewish community and was interested in a variety of projects. Ruth’s words to live by were “Have fun!” and thanks to her endowment donations through Charitable Gift Annuities, adults with I/DD in JCFS homes will do that and more for generations to come!

You can set up a Charitable Gift Annuity (it’s much easier than it sounds) to benefit the JCFS Chicago Endowment Foundation and receive fixed quarterly payments for life. After your lifetime, the remainder of the gift goes to the JCFS Chicago Endowment Foundation to help secure the future. The minimum amount to set up a Charitable Gift Annuity is $10,000. Your gift can be unrestricted or directed to the program of your choice.