How your future gifts help

Children's Hospital and Health System Foundation's planned giving program was established in 1989 to formally recognize the many generous friends who have provided for the hospital and health system through their estate plans. We are grateful for their foresight and thoughtful planning.

Gifts received through the estates of our caring supporters are recognized in our annual donor report and permanently on the Estate Roll of Honor in the hospital lobby.

Eckerle's legacy makes a tangible difference for children

Erna Eckerle of Fox Point, Wis., passed away in her home in February 2005, at the age of 103. Mrs. Eckerle, a longtime friend of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, ensured her interest in children's health will live on through an estate gift which established the Erna L. and Joseph C. Eckerle Endowed Fund.

Throughout her life, Erna Eckerle was an advocate and active volunteer for Children's Hospital. She was a Welfare Auxiliary member for more than a quarter century and a charter member of the Emelie Vogel Nunnemacher donor society. 

She drew others from her circle of friends to Children's Hospital, engaging them in one of her favorite causes and inviting their gifts of time, talent and resources. Her financial gifts purchased practical, tangible items – everything from wheelchairs and exam tables to surgical and intensive care monitoring equipment. Now, her endowed fund ensures Children's Hospital will be able to purchase the high-tech equipment children need today and in the future.

"Erna was a smart lady," said family friend Avis Heller. "She invested her money wisely. At cocktail parties, she didn't talk to the women about their children and grandchildren. She had none of her own, and she preferred talking with the gentlemen about investments and sports."

"She had lots of admirers," Heller said. "She was a beautiful lady and wonderful on the inside. She cared for children, and her entire estate went to the charities she loved."

George and Leila O'Neil's estate plans included their friends, family and charities

Although Mrs. O'Neil passed away in 1943 and Mr. O'Neil four years later in 1947, Children's Hospital continues to benefit from their thoughtful estate planning. 

Mr. and Mrs. O'Neil found a way to include both loved ones and the charities close to them in their estate plans.  Mr. O'Neil established two trusts that would ultimately benefit 10 charities. However, for nearly 50 years these same trusts provided income for numerous life beneficiaries.  

This past year Children's Hospital received the final distribution from the trusts, making George and Leila O'Neil's gift the largest cumulative estate gift in Children's Hospital's history. Mr. and Mrs. O'Neil's thoughtful estate planning will continue to provide for generations of children.  

Leila O'Neil served on the Milwaukee Children's Hospital Board of Directors from 1927-1938 and was also a member of various other hospital committees from publicity to occupational therapy. George O'Neil shared his wife's desire to help care and provide for others.

The care and compassion of the late Alyce and Edgar Wollenberg lives on at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

During the couple's lifetimes, they generously supported the hospital through an endowed fund, the Nancy Wollenberg Cancer Care Fund, established in 1990. Alyce and Edgar Wollenbergs named the fund in honor of their daughter, whose life was cut short at the age of 42. The couple believed their daughter would like the idea of helping children with cancer and established the fund with life insurance proceeds they received at the time of her death.  The Wollenbergs continued to add to the fund annually in honor of Nancy's birthday.

Edgar Wollenberg passed away in 1994, and Alyce followed her husband in 1997. But that is not the end of the story. Children's Hospital was the recipient of gifts from the couple's estate for the Nancy Wollenberg Cancer Care Fund. The couple's love for their daughter and their compassion for children was reflected in their generous decision to include Children's Hospital in their wills. This gift from their hearts lives on in perpetuity, helping to meet the needs of children with cancer for generations to come.