Tek4Kids

Category: Ways to Help

  • Bequests: Another Way to Support Tek4Kids

    Bequests: Another Way to Support Tek4Kids

    Through various types of bequests to Tek4Kids, you may secure a charitable estate-tax deduction for the value of the gift. Best of all, you will know that your generosity will support Tek4Kids’ mission for years to come.

    You may prefer to state in your will or trust a sum of money or a percentage of your estate that you wish to give to Tek4Kids.

    Whatever form of bequest you choose, it is not subject to federal estate taxes and so significantly reduces the tax burden of an estate. The value of the bequest may be deducted when the taxable estate is determined, and there is no limit to the deduction.

    How It Works

    1. You include a bequest provision in your will or revocable trust.
    2. At your death, Tek4Kids receives the bequest you specified.

    Benefits

    • You may change your bequest or trust designation at any time
    • You control the funding property during your lifetime
    • Your bequest or trust designation will not be subject to any potential federal estate tax
    • You provide future support for Tek4Kids by making a transformational gift

    Gifts of Retirement Assets

    You can make a gift to Tek4Kids through your estate by naming Tek4Kids as a beneficiary of a qualified retirement plan account, such as an IRA, 401(k), 403(b), Keogh or similar account. Upon your death, all or a portion of the unused balance in your account is transferred to Tek4Kids as a charitable gift.

    Retirement plan assets are among the best assets to use for charitable gifts because if these assets are left to your heirs, they could eventually be taxed at 50% or 60%.

    Other benefits include:

    • Your estate benefits from a charitable deduction on the full amount given to charity
    • Charitable designations are free from all federal income and estate tax
    • These gifts are considered non-probate assets
    • The process of naming Tek4Kids as beneficiary is simple with no legal counsel needed

    You can name Tek4Kids as a beneficiary of your plan by contacting your plan administrator who will provide you with a form to designate Tek4Kids as a primary or contingent beneficiary of your account, and the amount or percentage of assets that you wish to give. If you are married, they may also ask you for the consent of your spouse.

    Gifts of Life Insurance

    If your goal is to make a gift to Tek4Kids at no cost and also to enjoy tax savings, a gift of life insurance is an option.

    If you:

    • no longer have use for your paid-up life insurance policy
    • wish to donate an existing policy
    • wish to create a new policy

    You can use it to make a charitable gift to Tek4Kids by designating Tek4Kids as beneficiary to your life insurance policy or giving the policy to the Tek4Kids outright. Either option may offer substantial tax savings.

    How It Works

    • Paid-up Insurance Policy – You can make an outright gift to Tek4Kids of a paid-up policy. Tek4Kids can accept the cash value of the policy or we can keep the policy until its death benefit is realized. You can receive a deduction equaling the cost of a replacement policy. This is based on a one-life policy based on your current age.
    • Existing Insurance Policy – You can maintain your current policy and continue to pay the premiums. You name Tek4Kids as the owner and primary beneficiary under the policy. You will receive an income tax deduction on the total of the premiums already paid or for the fair market value of the policy, whichever has the lesser value.
    • New Insurance Policy – You can create a new policy naming Tek4Kids as owner and beneficiary of the policy.

    This vehicle is especially attractive and manageable for younger donors who want to assist Tek4Kids. When you purchase this new policy and donate it as a gift to Tek4Kids as the owner, the premiums you pay are, as a rule, deductible on your federal income tax.

    Benefits

    Gifts made via insurance policies provide an excellent way for you to make a significant gift to Tek4Kids—a gift you may not otherwise be able to make at the time. Modest payments for policies are spread out over the years and will enable you to leave a significant bequest gift.

    Additional Options

    Gifts of insurance can also be leveraged for wealth replacement not only to protect your heirs, but it can enable you to make a significant charitable gift now.

    You can also use your company’s or Tek4Kids’s life insurance (part of your benefit package) by naming Tek4Kids as the beneficiary of the policy.

  • Preparing for the Covid-19 Pandemic in Haiti

    Preparing for the Covid-19 Pandemic in Haiti

    Along with partners around the globe, Tek4Kids observed World Water Day on March 22nd amidst the growing covid-19 pandemic. The day highlights the importance of fresh, clean water and is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

    Tek4Kids is keenly aware of the importance of clean water during the current crisis. One of the primary ways to combat the spread of the virus is handwashing and not touching our faces with unwashed hands. But what about those with no access to purified water to wash their hands? What if there is no clean water to drink or to use for bathing? Certainly, Haiti’s population is more vulnerable and more likely to contract the virus and spread it without access to clean water.

    Recognizing the importance of distributing clean water in Jeremie, Haiti during the pandemic, Tek4Kids founder Gary Boice and his son, Michael, helped prepare for the crisis by setting up six water purification distribution centers that will provide purified water to many thousands of Jeremie residents. They hope this will significantly slow the spread of the virus. Having distributed thousands of gallons of clean water following Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Tek4Kids is well prepared to assist in this emergency.

    Tek4Kids has been in Jeremie since 2011 and works with more than 2,000 students in our partner schools by supporting them with purified water and education via laptops, iPads and smartboards. Tek4Kids also opened a three year technical school (St. Francis School of Technology) in 2015. Due to the pandemic, the government has closed schools nationwide, so Tek4Kids is now setting up its facilities to provide water to the Jeremie community. We currently have nearly 100,000 gallons of clean water ready to go and can purify 15,000-20,000 gallons per day afterwards (as long as water trucks are operating).

    The covid-19 virus has not yet come to Jeremie. Tek4Kids has been working with other organizations such as the Haitian Health Foundation to provide training and information to the community before the virus arrives. For more information about our work in Jeremie, Haiti and to donate to Tek4Kids, visit our website at www.tek4kids.org.

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  • Have You Heard About IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions?

    Have You Heard About IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions?

    The Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) was introduced by Congress (on a temporary basis) in 2006 for IRA holders. In a QCD, an individual over age 70½ can fund gifts to charities such as Tek4Kids from his or her IRA. Specifically, an individual can make one or more “qualified charitable distributions” from his or her IRA, up to an aggregate of $100,000 during the year, directly to certain charities of his or her choice. To qualify, the distribution was required to be paid directly from the IRA to the qualified charity. The QCD became permanent in 2015.

    Distributions that qualify as a QCD receive very favorable tax treatment: they are not included in the individual’s gross income, but nonetheless count toward the required minimum distribution that the IRA owner must take each year after reaching age 70½ (or a beneficiary must take after the death of the IRA owner). The distribution to charity does not reduce the amount the donor can otherwise give to charity on a fully deductible basis. In other words, the amount donated through the QCD will not “count” as charitable donation when calculating the donor’s charitable gifts for the year. Thus, while the donor does not have income from the distribution, the donor does not receive a charitable deduction either.

    If you are interested in donating to Tek4Kids through a Qualified Charitable Distribution, please consult your financial advisor or contact us for further information. To view a .pdf file with more details, click here: 2019-10-15 IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution

  • Volunteer’s Efforts Evolve as Tek4Kids Expands

    Volunteer’s Efforts Evolve as Tek4Kids Expands

    In the summer of 2014, I began volunteering with Tek4Kids. I read an article in the Catholic Record about a former classmate of mine at St. Xavier High School, Gary Boice, who was doing some notable work in Haiti. I was retired and had moved home to Louisville, looking for a new purpose during my retirement years. After seeing the article, I was excited about the possibility of volunteering with Tek4Kids.

    My first trip to Jeremie, Haiti was in November, 2014. I was not yet sure how I would utilize my skills and talent to help with the needs of the organization. When I arrived, Gary and his team were in the final stages of completing a water filtration system and pump house at an orphanage in the hills overlooking Jeremie. I did whatever was asked of me: running pvc pipe, wiring, carrying materials and handing tools to those who knew what they were doing. The work was more about construction than using my skills in technology, management and personnel development. However, it was so rewarding to see the difference we were making in this developing country. I was hooked and decided I would continue supporting Tek4Kids and helping the people in Haiti.

    Over the next three years I made about two trips per year to Jeremie. The work varied but was always rewarding. We built classrooms for the partner schools we supported. This required painting, some light carpentry, wiring classroom workstations, installing laptop computers and hanging overhead projectors. At the end of each day, we would be tired, hot, dirty and the cold showers back at the house where we lived actually felt good. Though the work differed, by the end of each trip the feeling was always the same: I was glad to return home but knew I had to return to Haiti. I was full of gratitude for the blessings I had, yet wondered why I had so many opportunities while the people in Haiti had so many challenges.

    Now in 2019, the Tek4Kids organization has grown from building water filtration systems and classrooms to teaching computer skills to Haitian children, supported by nine full-time teachers and maintenance personnel. Tek4Kids has opened a three-year technical school for high school graduates, now occupies a new building with eight classrooms and partners with an Information Technology business to supply jobs for our school graduates. Including the new business, the staff has grown to over 35. As a result, my role has changed.

    Now my experience and knowledge of business management and employee development are values I can contribute. Both Tek4Kids and TIC, the new for-profit company which was started to support our work in Jeremie, can benefit from what I have to offer. Although I didn’t mind helping with construction and more labor-intensive work, I now enjoy spending my time working with people.

    On this latest trip, I made presentations both to our different employee teams and the students in our technical school. The presentations covered the need for organization values, teamwork, accountability, professionalism, business ethics and other skills needed to be successful in the business world. I also spent time with our management team to train and mentor them on leadership skills, the importance of setting goals, communicating job responsibilities and measuring performance. I am working to develop some resource tools such as an employee handbook, discipline documentation, hiring guidelines and other HR processes that are currently needed. I participate in organization design discussions and planning for future growth.

    The work I am doing now has resulted in a new commitment to return to Jeremie every three months so I can be more involved in the development of our team there. I have also started working with another non-profit in Jeremie to help their staff with leadership skills. I am so thankful for the opportunity to assist Tek4Kids in its mission to improve the life of the people in Jeremie through education and technology. It is nothing short of amazing to see the growth and success I have witnessed in the five short years since I became involved in this worthy effort.

    — by Bob Glaser

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  • A New Way to Support Tek4Kids!

    A New Way to Support Tek4Kids!

    Are you a Kroger’s shopper? If so, you can support Tek4Kids with each purchase you make! Simply enroll in the Kroger Community Rewards program and select Tek4Kids as the organization you want to support. Participants can enroll annually to keep supporting Tek4Kids year after year!

    Here are the simple steps to enroll:

    1. Create an account with Kroger.com or use the account you already have.
    2. Login to kroger.com/communityrewards.
    3. Click “I’m a Customer” on the Community Rewards page.
    4. Search for and select Tek4Kids or KM106, then click “Enroll.”
    5. You’re enrolled and every purchase you make will help Tek4Kids!

    We appreciate Kroger’s Community Rewards program and this opportunity to support Tek4Kids students in Haiti through technology education!

  • Tek4Kids Golf Scramble – Save the Date!

    Tek4Kids Golf Scramble – Save the Date!

    Join us for a great day of golf at our sixth annual Tek4Kids Golf Scramble, held on Tuesday, September 11, 2018. This year’s scramble will be held at Fuzzy Zoeller’s Covered Bridge Golf Club in Sellersburg, Indiana.

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  • Tek4Kids Open House on May 22 – Join Us!

    Tek4Kids Open House on May 22 – Join Us!

  • Donating to Tek4Kids Through Facebook

    Donating to Tek4Kids Through Facebook

    Looking for an easy and convenient way to donate to Tek4Kids? If you’re a Facebook user, we’ve made it as simple as clicking our new Tek4Kids “Donate” button. The button is located on our Facebook homepage: www.facebook.com/tek4kids.org. You then select the amount you’d like to donate, enter your credit or debit card information and voila!, you are now one of our valued Tek4Kids donors!

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  • Construction is Underway . . . Watch Us Grow!

    Construction is Underway . . . Watch Us Grow!

    We have exciting news to share! Tek4Kids is in the process of building a new free-standing technology school which will house six classrooms, two labs, office space and a cyber cafe for students. Since its inception in 2015, St. Francis School of Technology (SFST) has functioned in leased space, but our new building will be permanently ours! SFST is a secondary education school offering an intensive three-year program with tracks of study in programming, database design, Microsoft server training and network design and management. The curriculum focuses on preparing students for specific jobs in the IT field, as well as guiding them in starting their own businesses.

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  • Thanks for Supporting Tek4Kids!

    Thanks for Supporting Tek4Kids!

    Thank you so much for your caring and generous support of T4K during the past year. With your help, we continue to build upon our programs and projects which impact the lives of more than 2,000 students in the community of Jeremie, Haiti. Through the use of iPads and laptops, we utilize hundreds of educational applications, iBooks, university lectures and other content specifically customized for the Haitian education system. Water purification and reliable electricity continue to be the cornerstones of our projects, helping to improve the quality of life for students and teachers in their learning environment.

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  • New Ways to Donate to Tek4Kids!

    New Ways to Donate to Tek4Kids!

    Interested in making an investment in our work with students in Haiti? We have two new ways you might consider donating: through the donation of stock or through an IRA Charitable Rollover.

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