Mount Auburn is a very special place , created by those who have gone before …
Now , create your own legacy .
PHOTO BY lucy aptekar , courtesy of the straus family
There are many ways to support a beloved institution like Mount Auburn : by becoming a Member of the Friends of Mount Auburn , by volunteering here , or by giving to the Annual Fund — and by including this special place in your gift planning through a bequest or
Patty and David Straus by establishing a life income gift , such as a charitable gift annuity .
A Charitable Gift Annuity is a simple , onepage contract under which Mount Auburn , in return for a gift ( cash , appreciated stock , or real property ) agrees to make payments at a fixed rate ( based on the age of the beneficiaries ) to one or more beneficiaries for life . The donor , who can also be a beneficiary , receives an income tax deduction for a significant portion of the gift .
Mount Auburn Trustee David A . Straus and his wife Patty , of Cambridge , MA , made a decision both to do something for Mount Auburn , a place they have loved as close neighbors for many years , and at the same time insure a steady lifetime stream of income for themselves from their investment in Mount Auburn .
David first became acquainted with Mount Auburn as an undergraduate at Harvard when he saw the Cemetery “ as a serene place to get into nature .” Later , as an architecture student at Harvard ’ s Graduate School of Design , he and his colleagues used to visit Mount Auburn as a beautiful setting in which to hone their photography skills . More recently , he has become an avid bird watcher at Mount Auburn .
“ I am drawn to Mount Auburn because it is a true sanctuary for birds and wildlife ,” David says .“ And of course , Mount Auburn is also an important historical landscape and great cultural resource for our community that needs ongoing preservation — and community support .
“ I wanted to give back to this resource that I have cared so much about ,” he says .
Now retired , David is the founder of the management consulting firm Interaction Associates and is the best-selling author of How to Make Collaboration Work : Powerful Ways to Build Consensus , Solve Problems , and Make Decisions . As a Mount Auburn Trustee , David chairs the Strategic Planning Committee . He grew up in New York City . Patty Straus is the former President of the Board of The Cambridge Center for Adult Education , on which she still serves as a trustee . She and David have two grown daughters and a granddaughter .
A gift to Mount Auburn to establish a Charitable Gift Annuity may be a check , transfer of marketable securities , or other tangible asset and must have a minimum value of $ 10,000 irrevocably donated to the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery . The Beneficiary , or Annuitant , ( who may also be the donor ) must be at least 65 years of age when payments begin . ( The Annuity can be established at an earlier age and payments deferred until the beneficiary reaches age 65 .)
For further information or to make a gift , please contact : Priscilla P . Morris , Vice President of Development , Mount Auburn Cemetery , 580 Mount Auburn Street , Cambridge , MA 02138 , 617-607-1919 ; pmorris @ mountauburn . org .
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