Amy Cohen ’82
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In 1996 in her late 20s, Amy Cohen ’82 and her newlywed husband Michael wrote their first will. Although considerably younger than most planned giving donors, Amy decided to name Friends Select as a beneficiary of her estate. According to the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, the average age for writing a first will is 44 years old, and nearly half of all donors establish their first legacy gift at the same time.
“A planned gift to Friends Select is a way of recognizing the school’s importance in my life,” Amy said. “Donating to one’s school is a way of paying it forward to current and future students. Without others giving before us, Friends Select would not have been the special place it was during our time. It truly prepared me for the ‘whole of life.’ ”
“A gift through the Price Wetzel Legacy Society is incredibly symbolic of a donor’s connection to Friends Select School,” said Christine Jefferson, chief development officer. “Planned giving preserves one’s legacy and sustains the school for years into the future. It also provides a donor options in how the gift is made, from general bequests to donor-advised funds, gifts of stock, or gifts of life insurance.”
A member of the Dick Hoffman Circle of Continued Gifts, Amy has given back to Friends Select consistently for more than 25 years in a variety of ways. From her contributions to the Friends Select Fund, the school’s annual giving program, to her support of capital campaigns over the years, Amy’s appreciation for her alma mater has been evident in her consistent generosity. “I know that tuition doesn’t cover the cost of private school education,” she explained. “Many people tend to give to their colleges, but to me, four years were a drop in the bucket compared to my 13 years at Friends Select.”
Throughout her distinguished career as a writer and educator—for which she received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching by the Philadelphia School District—Amy has maintained the Friends Select connections that inspire her giving. “As a social studies teacher for many years, I was very much influenced by Gene Kerrick, with whom I am still in touch. Currently, I am a writer. Gaynelle Fleming taught me how to write clearly when I was in middle school, and she and I still meet for lunch,” Amy said. “As a lifer, Friends Select was at the center of my life for 13 formative years.”
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