Investing in tomorrow’s leaders
Couple extends their support for students with estate gift
Sheree and Mark Yardley included a gift in their will so future students will benefit from their scholarship.
A simple gift in your will can go a long way in making Washburn a better place. A few sentences, directing a portion of your estate to Washburn, can make you feel good knowing your legacy will live on and support your passions.
Mark and Sheree Yardley recently completed documentation of their estate gift for Washburn. They’re leaving a certain amount to their endowed scholarship, the Mark and Sheree Yardley Business Scholarship.
“Our hearts are in giving, and we want to have something that will carry on and leave a lasting impact,” Mark said.
Mark is a 1977 graduate from the School of Business. He started at FHLBank Topeka in 1984 and became vice president in 1991. He has been executive vice president since 2005.
His Washburn experiences shaped him into the person he is now, and scholarships helped him pay for college.
“We want to pass that along to other students,” Mark said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to be able to give back, and I think it’s important to help others.”
He knows his gift is supporting a program that is just as strong as when he was a student. The graduates and interns hired at FHLBank Topeka reaffirm that. The Yardleys’ scholarship gives students the same chances Mark had, and their estate gift will increase the impact.
“We are so grateful Mark and Sheree made this gift to Washburn,” said JuliAnn Mazachek, president of the Washburn University Foundation. “Their generosity will provide Washburn students financial assistance for generations to come.”
Your gift can be a certain dollar amount or a percentage of your estate, and you can change the amount throughout your lifetime. Perhaps you have already mentioned Washburn in your will. If so, please let us know.
“If we are a part of your estate plan, we would love to hear from you so we can direct your gift toward your passions,” JuliAnn said.
A gift in your will can go to any area including the school or college where you studied, athletics, Mabee Library or general areas like the 150 Forward Campaign Fund for Excellence.
150 Forward
We set a bold goal as part of 150 Forward: The Campaign for Washburn University – securing $25 million in revocable planned gifts, including bequests from estate gifts. To date, we have more than $20 million in revocable planned gifts, and your gift in your will can help us reach that part of our goal.
Contact Erin Aldridge at 785.670.4483 or PlannedGiving@wualumni.org for more details on leaving a positive, permanent impact on Washburn.
Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.