A Deliberate Act

By Maxine Neil
Originally published in the Winter/Spring 2013 issue of Rights Now

Many of us are good at planning. We plan for vacations, children, college tuition, weddings, and retirements. Unfortunately, not many plan for what happens when we are no longer here. There is often fear around writing a will, almost as if the act will lead to our immediate demise. Rodney and Jeannette Debs of Niceville, Fla., have conquered that fear, though, and are two of more than 175 individuals who have included UUSC in their estate plans.

Rod and Jeannette have been together since 1982, when Jeannette was an active member of the UU Congregation in Binghamton, N.Y., and Rod visited for the first time. Since then, Rod attended seminary, they raised a daughter, and Rod became the senior minister at the UU Fellowship of the Emerald Coast in Valparaiso, Fla.

The Debs family recognizes the importance of supporting human rights and social justice not only now but beyond their lifetimes. In addition to making provision for their daughter in their will, they have included UUSC. As Rod describes it, "UUSC conducts global work for social justice by working efficiently with partners around the world — reaching at-risk populations where other NGOs many times will not or can't go, and I want to leave a legacy that is significant if only to the beneficiaries of UUSC's work."

Including UUSC in their estate plans assures the Debs family that, even when they are no longer around, the work of protecting women, girls, and other vulnerable people will continue. And they are proof positive that writing your will does not bring on one's imminent demise!

Maxine Neil is UUSC's director of institutional advancement. If you would like to learn more about including UUSC in your estate plans, please call Neil at 617-301-4313 or contact her online.