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The Florida Grantor, Winter 2007

Endowment news

End-of-the-Year Planning

There is never a better time to plan for your future than at the end of the year. Re-evaluating your estate-planning situation and making changes to your estate may be a tedious process. To assist you, The Able Trust would like to provide you with a few options as plan for your future.

The Able Trust is an non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that is dedicated to assisting individuals with disabilities in Florida. With more than 2 million Floridians with disabilities, The Able Trust remains committed to supporting youth and persons with disabilities as they pursue their career goals. As the New Year approaches, you have the chance to change the life of a person with a disability through your estate plan.

For instance, you may award the excess of your estate tax exclusions to The Able Trust or a program of The Able Trust. You may also name the organization to receive retirement plan proceeds, which otherwise your heirs may have a significant income tax if they received them instead.

Appreciated assets like stocks, bonds and real estate may also be awarded to the charity as a way to decrease income and estate tax challenges since the capital gains are never realized and The Able Trust can convert the gift to cash without paying taxes.

Another common practice is to transfer old insurance policies that may have appreciated directly to the charity, if there's no estate cash needs. This may also reduce the estate tax liability.

Charitable remainder and lead trusts, gift annuities and life estates are also legal tools to meet financial security needs. All of these efforts will assist the organization in providing support to a youth or a person with a disability, as well as, providing income and estate tax relief to you as the donor. With tax-efficient wealth replacement vehicles, the family will not be short-changed if giving away wealth is a concern. An expert advisor can help guide you through the process and make sure the planning is done correctly.

For more information or for questions please contact (888) 838-2253.

The Able Trust Honors 2007 Ability Award Winners

The Able Trust is pleased to announce this year's Ability Award Winners. The Able Trust Ability Awards recognizes outstanding leader, businesses and individuals for their leadership and service to Florida citizens with disabilities.

Winners were honored during the 2007 Disability Employment Awareness Celebration, Oct. 9, 2007 in Tallahassee, FL. The Disability Employment Celebration was held in commemoration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month and was hosted by The Agency for Persons with Disabilities, The Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and The Able Trust.

The 2007 Ability Award Winners are as follows:

• Small Employer of the Year.
  Awarded to Crystal Bay Enterprise, Inc., a small cafe owned and operated by Debbie Hietala. Being visually impaired herself, Debbie has a long standing commitment to hiring, serving and accommodating employees with disabilities.
• Medium Employer of the Year.
  Regal Cinema in Pinellas Park currently makes including people with disabilities in their workforce a priority. Manager Cheryl Basaldo creates jobs to match the capabilities and goals of job candidates with disabilities.
• Large Employer of the Year.
  Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida has a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion and recognizes the importance of increased access to meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
• Beverly Chapman Award for Outstanding Employment Placement Program.
  The Florida Lions Conklin Center for the Blind in Daytona has an outstanding track record for helping people with disabilities build careers.
• Dr. George L. Spelios Leadership Award.
  In 1995, Grace-Anne Alfiero developed and co-founded the Creative Clay Cultural Arts Center, Inc. with the goal of making the arts accessible for all members of the community, particularly individuals with developmental, physical or behavioral disabilities.
• Media Representative Award.
  Geoff Oldfather is a columnist with Scripss Treasure Coast Newspapers. With over 28 years of reporting in South Florida and a father of a son with a disability, Geoff is a dedicated advocate for individuals with disabilities.
• Youth Leader Award.
  Twenty-two year old John Thomas (JT) Davis lives with a learning disability that affects his ability to grasp math, reading and spelling yet he doesn't let this slow him down. JT is a strong, outspoken advocate for people with disabilities.
• High School/High Tech Project of the Year.
  The High School/High Tech (HS/HT) Project of Madison County School Board is an exceptional program that assists students with disabilities with achieving their dreams. Under the leadership of Mary Coody, HS/HT Project Coordinator, this HS/HT project has flourished over the past few years and has built relationships with the Madison businesses.
• Florida Business Leadership Network Local Chapter of the Year.
  The Big Bend Business Leadership Network helps local businesses learn more about hiring people with disabilities through training and technical assistance, making it easier for employers to recruit, hire, train and retain employees.

For more information about the 2007 Ability Awards, please visit www.abletrust.org.