Denver Catholic

B2 NOVEMBER 10-23, 2018 | DENVER CATHOLIC 2018 Christmas Gift Guide When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. MATTHEW 2:10 On behalf of all of us at the Credit Union, we wish you a Merry Christmas! Call: 303.424.5037 Click: Fideliscu.org or Come by Uniting Your Faith and Finances OF GIVING ADOPT-A-FAMILY Make a difference in a family's life this Christmas season! ccdenver.org/ adoptafamily GO SOCIAL Start a Facebook crowdfunding campaign to help others Click "Fundraisers" under "Explore" on Facebook and choose Catholic Charities 720-799-9311 ccdenver.org PROVIDE HOPE Support one of our many ministries ccdenver.org/ donate The Kings make giving a family a" air BY DENVER CATHOLIC STAFF C hris King didn't want gifts for his 70th birthday. Instead, he wanted to spend time and share his faith with his children and grand- children. He decided to have a birthday giving party. Each family member — from his grandchildren to his grown children — was tasked with giving a certain amount from his donor advised fund to a char- ity. During King 's birthday dinner, they took turns sharing which charity they chose to support and why. "It was the best dinner I can ever remember," he said. "It worked out really, really well. They all took it on and came up with good [grant recom- mendations]. They all felt the desire to give. A year after that, they still talk about it. It was really fun to do." Their donor advised fund through The Catholic Foundation of Northern Colorado made it possible to grant money to their chosen charities. King 's birthday gave him the opportunity to explain how the fund worked and how giving is important to him and his wife, Sue. "We had the vehicle of The Catho- lic Foundation to provide the grants. We explained to our family how that worked. It also planted the seed that when we're gone, there will still be money in the fund. The responsibil- ity of how to spend it will fall on our children and our grandchildren," who are named as successor advisors on the fund, he shared. Giving has been a family tradition ever since King can remember. His grandparents were examples of giving and his parents gave to support the building of their church, St. Mary Parish in Littleton. "I remember my parents saying how important it was to support the church and support the school in particular," he said. Later he and his family joined Most Precious Blood Parish in Denver before becoming longtime parishioners at St. Thomas More Church in Centennial. They volunteered their time serving as Eucharistic ministers and on the parish fi nance council, giving in support of the many needs of the parish community. "The teachings say that anything we have is a gift from God," King shared. "Therefore, it is our responsibility to utilize those gifts properly. I've never really felt like I was giving anything of mine. The time, the money — I always felt like it was his anyway. I was just doing what I was called to do." But the Kings found giving to be com- plex — fi lling out paperwork and des- ignating shares to various groups. He found The Catholic Foundation's donor advised fund made it easy to transfer stock and reduced paperwork to one receipt for tax purposes. The Founda- tion assisted with vetting charities and allowed him to remain anonymous. "You want to fi nd ways in which your giving is meaningful and properly [spent]," he said. "It is a great relief to feel that way. The Catholic Foundation makes giving easier. And they only give to organizations that follow the teach- ings of the Church." King hopes his family continues the tradition of giving and understands the true rewards come in heaven. "I recommend The Catholic Foun- dation as a way of giving, and I recom- mend the birthday giving party," King said. "It's far more rewarding." To learn more about using The Catholic Foundation as your partner in giving, please contact Jean Finegan, Lisa Kukura, or Deacon Steve Stemper at 303-468-9885. i PHOT BY BEN WHITE | UNSPLASH

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