“Our goal is to eradicate this disease, so nobody has to deal with it,” John said. “We want to leave the world nicer than we found it.”
John and Krista Karpowich got involved with The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) 12 years ago after a good colleague of John’s, and Krista’s mom Patricia, were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Since then, they have seen more and more friends and neighbors be impacted by this disease. Parkinson's became personal for the Karpowich’s and gave them a new cause to direct their charitable giving to: helping create a world without Parkinson's. This brought them to MJFF.
They decided to make an immediate gift to MJFF through their Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) and make MJFF a beneficiary of the fund. Not only does this allow them to make a difference today, but it ensures they leave a legacy of philanthropy for tomorrow.
A DAF is a charitable savings account: you put money or assets in now and then recommend grants to the cause you care about when you’re ready. A DAF gives you flexibility with your charitable giving, speeds critical Parkinson's research and helps you protect your future.
“Giving through my DAF makes it very easy to track my charitable activity and keeps everything organized,” John explained. Their DAF is also helping to inspire the next generation of philanthropists. With their DAF, John and Krista’s loved ones can make gifts to the causes of their choosing through his fund.
They decided to make MJFF beneficiary of their DAF not only because they want to find a cure, but because of the community and friendships they found along the way.
For John and Krista, making MJFF the beneficiary of their entire DAF was about more than just supporting the world-class research that MJFF funds; it was because of the community they found within MJFF. Throughout their years of giving to MJFF, John and Krista have especially enjoyed the personal interactions they have had over the years with staff and researchers, as well as the sense of community that MJFF offers. These personal relationships that have developed over time have made the biggest impression on the Karpowich family.
John and Krista will continue to support MJFF until a cure is found.
To learn more about beneficiary designations, visit our page here or contact our Planned Giving team at 212-509-1524.