Obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Robert S. Ellison and his wife Barbara have been longtime leaders of Temple Beth David, their synagogue in Temple City, near Pasadena. In 2002, Temple Beth David announced a new program offering its members Charitable Gift Annuities through the Jewish Community Foundation's Partnership Life Annuity Program,* which helps synagogues and other Jewish institutions build endowments. The Ellisons became the first to establish a CGA for the benefit of the temple under the new program. Their substantial CGA gave the couple an immediate charitable tax deduction and will continue to provide them with a guaranteed income stream for the rest of their lives.

Upon their passing, most of the remaining balance of the annuity will establish The Barbara and Robert S. Ellison Endowment Fund for Temple Beth David. Barbara and Bob were so satisfied with how their first CGA worked out that they decided to set up two more with The Foundation, including one to benefit Bob's medical school alma mater.

"We believe in leading by example. Now that we've discovered the many benefits of Charitable Gift Annuities, we want to make sure other people learn about them, too. We've had two separate CGAs through The Foundation, one to benefit Temple Beth David, and one to benefit Wayne State University School of Medicine. In each case, it was our way of expressing appreciation for all the good things these institutions have brought to our lives. We were so pleased, we recently decided to establish a third CGA through The Foundation.

"We chose The Foundation for our CGAs because we know our charitable resources and intentions are in good hands. In fact, we now make most of our charitable contributions through The Foundation because we want even the non-Jewish organizations to which we contribute to know that the gift comes from a Jewish source."

Dr. Robert S. and Barbara Ellison