Stories of Impact

Charles And Carol Ramirez Create a Scholarship With Stock Gains, And a Bequest Continued

Charles Ramirez wanted to get married, but first, he needed a career that would support a family. He had an uncle working as a butcher and a sheet metal worker, so he applied to both their unions. His sister was a nurse. He applied to Kansas City General Hospital's School of Nursing on a whim, and they were the first to respond.

"I loved working in med-surg," Charles said. "You were more on your own, not just looking at machines. You had to be a thinker to figure out what was going on with your patient. And working in med-surg was the most fun for me."

For Charles, his diploma was just the start of his education. After receiving his diploma in 1973 and working at Saint Luke's Hospital on the Plaza, Charles went back to Graceland College, graduating in 1978 with his BSN. He started on the faculty at Saint Luke's College of Health Sciences in 1976 and was teaching and going to school himself when he enrolled at the University of Kansas for his MN program. Eventually, he added a certification from the American Nurses Association as a clinical specialist.

While on the faculty, he was heavily invested in transitioning the curriculum from a diploma program to a BSN program. He also created an elective course in Spanish medical terms, which was very helpful for students working in diverse clinical settings.

After retiring in 2008 after teaching for 32 years at the College, he taught part-time at North American University until 2012. He enjoys woodworking and traveling with his wife, Carol. They also feel blessed to have their son and daughters' families living close, and they enjoy seeing their two grandchildren. Recently, Charles and Carol have started thinking about leaving a gift in their will to support scholarships for student nurses. In talking with their stockbroker, they realized they could fully fund a scholarship today and save on 2021 taxes from the current gains in their investment portfolio. They also decided to create a gift in their will which will expand their scholarship. They met with Melody Messner, the director of planned giving, to document their gift so that the scholarships are always given in their name and their gift intentions clearly articulated.

For more than 20 years, Charles and Carol supported scholarships for nursing students. Creating this scholarship and leaving a gift in their will is one way to continue their legacy of giving and supporting nursing scholarships long into the future.

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