“Enid and I have always had a desire to help others,” is Bob Heater’s response when asked about his and Enid Campbell’s passion for philanthropy, “but we weren’t always able to do as much as we wanted.”
The couple is also passionate about travel. Bob has visited over 80 countries of the world and has an impressive collection of photographs. While many of us capture images of landscapes and local attractions, these travelers focus on the individuals of different cultures. “Our interest in travel is the people, and children are often the most interesting any place we go.”
When Bob was a child, he lived in a very poor area south of Portland. He was introduced to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in 1926, the hospital’s first year of operation. At that time, Bob’s six-year-old younger brother developed appendicitis. His family had no means to travel the twenty miles to town for help, but he remembers, “The country doctor came to the house and immediately loaded my brother and mother in his car and left for a place called Doernbecher.” He credits Doernbecher with saving his brother’s life as well as saving the lives of other children of relatives and friends over the years since.
Learning how a charitable gift annuity could allow them to simultaneously help others, obtain tax benefits and receive fixed income payments for life was one of the great discoveries of Bob and Enid’s retirement years. “Gift annuities work better for us than outright gifts, and Doernbecher at OHSU was the obvious place for us to direct our support.” Between them Bob and Enid have established eight gift annuities to date.
While Bob enjoys telling friends that, at his age, he gets over a 10% payout rate, what he and Enid really want more people to know is this: “With gift annuities, you don’t have to be extremely wealthy to do something very significant for Doernbecher or OHSU.”
