Charitable Gift Annuity is a gift that pays income for life and gives back

Martha and Arthur Bobruff, pictured here with their daughter-in-law, Yael (left); daughter, Rachel (center); and son, David (far right).

As physicians trained in Boston, Martha and Arthur “Art” Bobruff always knew of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Their knowledge of Dana-Farber drastically changed in 1997 when their 22-year-old son, David, was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

After an extraordinary college career at Amherst College, David obtained a promising and challenging financial position at Goldman Sachs in New York City when he suffered a seizure. After what the Bobruffs describe as a “most horrible experience” at the hospital where David was first diagnosed, they contacted Dana-Farber and David was transferred by ambulance to Boston.

At Dana-Farber, the Bobruffs found care that was a “class above” and a new treatment plan for David was implemented. Nearly two decades later, he is healthy and married with a young son.

“We support Dana-Farber because we are so grateful for where our family is at this point—compared to where we could have been,” Art said.

To express their gratitude, Martha and Art established a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) using appreciated stock to benefit Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. The CGA provides the Bobruffs with a steady income for life and an income tax deduction, and will ultimately benefit Dana-Farber’s lifesaving mission.

“The financial benefits of the CGA are valuable, but for us, there is no greater reward than knowing we are helping Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund in the fight against cancer,” Art said.

The Bobruffs found the CGA easy to set up, with assistance from Dana-Farber’s Gift Planning office, and are pleased with the financial benefits of the gift.

“We had strong feelings about giving back to a meaningful and valuable organization, and Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund was at the top of that list,” Martha said. “Dana-Farber’s wonderful doctors and staff were amazing, and, in our minds, it’s also the top institution in the world to discover new treatments.”