The Courage to Speak® Foundation, Inc.: How To Help
 
Make a gift now
 
Ways of Giving

By making a charitable contribution to The Courage to Speak Foundation, you make an investment in the future health and well-being of children and families at our home base in Connecticut and around the country.

Why Your Gift is Needed
As we mark 12 years of service to children and parents, Courage to Speak has much to be grateful for, especially your support, which helps us change lives for the better at home here in Norwalk and across the country. Our educational programs in schools, our family nights in communities, work with law enforcement, our collaborations with educators and health care professionals; all of these are helping kids, teens and their families live healthier, drug-free lives.

Our initial decision to speak out after the death of our son, Ian, has grown from a cathartic talk designed to reach teens and their parents into a comprehensive alcohol and drug abuse prevention program. You have helped us incorporate our programs into school health curriculum, first at the middle school level, then in high school, and now, our newest, is a curriculum for fourth graders in elementary schools.

As we work with you and the rest of the community, as well as other communities across the country, we find new challenges and new issues, such as the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medicines, methamphetamine, steroids and inhalants. We continue to keep up on the latest information in the field, so we can educate families about these and other drug threats facing their children.

As we reflect on these past 12 years, it is incredible and humbling to realize we have spoken with over a million people in more than 1000 presentations. You can help us serve more children and families in need, and more communities looking for our assistance, by donating to Courage to Speak today.

Please consider a gift of $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or as much as you can. With your generosity, we will make a greater difference than ever before. To make a donation online, click here.

Thank you and best wishes for a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.

Charles Yost, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Ginger Katz & Larry Katz, Co-Founders & All of Your Friends at Courage to Speak

Gifts of Cash by Credit Card
The simplest way of contributing, and the most beneficial to The Courage to Speak Foundation is an outright gift of cash. Courage to Speak accepts VISA, MasterCard or American Express via this online giving service. To make a contribution by credit card using our  online donation service, please click here.

Gifts by Check
To make a donation by check or money order, please make your check out to The Courage to Speak Foundation, Inc and send it to: The Courage to Speak Foundation, Inc, P.O. Box 1527, Norwalk, CT 06852.

Gifts of Appreciated Securities
In general, giving long-term appreciated securities to Courage to Speak provides two income tax benefits. First, no tax is imposed on the appreciated portion of the gift (otherwise generally taxed at long term capital gains rates). Second, you, the donor will receive a charitable deduction based on the stock's fair market value on the day of the gift. Because you as a donor can avoid the capital gains tax on the donated securities, it is usually more advantageous to contribute appreciated securities directly to Courage to Speak rather than first selling securities (and paying the associated tax on the sale) and then donating the proceeds of the sale. When you make a gift of stock, your gift value is based on fair market value on the day of the gift. Please call or have your broker call Ginger Katz, President at 1-877-431-3295 when you wish to make a gift of appreciated securities.

Matching Gifts
Many employers in our area have significant matching gifts programs, which means you can double or sometimes triple the size of your gift. Please check with your company on its matching gifts policy and alert us to the possibility. We will follow through with the necessary paper work. You leverage your generosity.

Gifts to Honor or Remember
A Memorial Gift to Courage to Speak when a person has passed away can be a fitting tribute to that person, which in turn helps fund Courage to Speak efforts to continue providing effective and meaningful alcohol and drug abuse education and prevention programs. Families may want to suggest in the obituary that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Courage to Speak. The agency will inform the family of gifts made in memory of their loved one and send personal acknowledgements to each donor.

A donation may also be made In Honor of a friend, colleague or family member as a birthday, anniversary, holiday or special occasion gift. There are several ways to make a Memorial or In Honor Gift. You can now make such a gift online or by mail. To make a Memorial or In Honor Gift online, click here or send your gift by mail to: The Courage to Speak Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 1527, Norwalk, CT 06852.

When sending a gift by mail, please remember to include the name of the person in whose honor or memory the gift is being made, as well as your name and address and the name and address of anyone to whom you want us to send notification of your gift. If you have any questions about this type of giving, you may call 1-877-431-3295 or e-mail gkcourage@aol.com.

Bequests and Planned Gifts
There are many creative and flexible ways to make a legacy contribution to The Courage to Speak Foundation. Tax laws may help you to accomplish multiple goals with your money and to give more to Courage to Speak than you thought possible. We hope the information provided here will reveal many possibilities and opportunities to combine philanthropy with your financial planning. Just as donations are sometimes tax deductible, bequests can sometimes reduce the taxes that may be levied against your estate.

Consider including the Courage to Speak Foundation, Inc. in your bequest of
estate plans. Types of Bequests to the foundation may take many forms. You may arrange for Courage to Speak to receive:
  • A specific dollar amount.
  • Specified assets, such as securities, real estate or tangible personal property, such as art or jewelry.
  • Retirement account assets, consisting of any benefits remaining in your retirement plan.
  • A residuary bequest, in which Head Start receives all or a percentage of the remainder of your estate after all other obligations are met.
  • A contingent bequest, in which Head Start becomes the beneficiary only if the named beneficiary is unable to accept the bequest.
A bequest can also be structured to fit a variety of your family's needs, including providing income for your heirs. Consult with an attorney who is knowledgeable about estate planning and who is familiar with the laws of the state where you reside. The following sample paragraph may be helpful to your attorney: I bequeath to The Courage to Speak Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit organization chartered under the laws of the State of Connecticut, located at P.O. Box 1527, Norwalk, Connecticut 06852, the sum of $____________ (or ____% of my residuary estate) to be used for its unrestricted general purposes.

Please Note: This is general information and is not presented as specific legal or tax advice. Donors should, therefore, consult with their personal advisors.
This website is partially funded by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
The Courage to Speak® Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation. The organization has been approved by the Internal Revenue Service for tax deductible status under Section 501(c)(3). Courage to Speak is the trademark of The Courage to Speak® Foundation, Inc. © Copyright 2009 Ginger Katz, Courage to Speak. All rights reserved.
 


Introduction | The Presentation | Presentation Schedule | The Programs | The Book | The Video
Teen Talk | Parent Guide | Drug Information | Press Articles | Donate Now | Family Album 
Past & Recent Events | Important Links | Guest Book | Contact Us | Site Map | Home