ASME staff join members to support Archimedes Club planned giving

Maxine Rosen
ASME Operations

Ten ASME staff members are among the first of 17 friends to make a commitment to the ASME Foundation Planned Giving Initiative since the program was introduced in June.

Each one has made a planned gift to the ASME Foundation of funds that will be available in perpetuity for programs that benefit the mechanical engineering profession.

All 17 donors were recognized for their generosity at the inaugural reception of the Archimedes Club, which was held last month during the Congress in Washington, D.C. The combined gifts of all the new donors will be well in excess of $500,000, part of the $1.7 million that has been committed to Foundation programs.

Pictured from left to right are Warren Leonard, director of Development; John Corcoran, managing director, Member Affairs; David Soukup, managing director, Operations; Philip Hamilton, managing director, Public Affairs; Virgil Carter, executive director; Thomas Loughlin, managing director, Engineering; Joseph Holm, associate executive director; and June Ling, associate executive director, Codes & Standards. Chor Tan, managing director, Education, and Elizabeth Barna, manager, executive office, are pictured in the center.

Seven ASME members have also made planned gifts. They are: Jim Adam, Robert Bennett, Lynden Davis, Joseph Falcon, Duane Jordan, John Mihm and Allen Rhodes.

"There are several charities that I feel strongly about supporting and one of them is the ASME Foundation," said Warren Leonard, director of Development, when asked about the reason for his gift. "I see the worthwhile activities that are made possible by the Foundation's support and can see what might be possible if more resources were available."

Leonard made his gift in memory of his father.

Explaining why he and his wife, Francesca, made the planned gift, Joseph Holm, associate executive director, said, "The Foundation supports very worthwhile efforts, such as the Federal Fellows program and K-12 programs such as FIRST. The latter is doing a tremendous amount to help kids understand that science and technology are more important than sports and entertainment, and can be fun, too."

Holm added, "Engineers will have a critical and growing role as we advance technologically. If enough people think the same thing, together we can make a huge impact."

This is not the first time David Soukup has partnered with the Foundation. "When my mom died," Soukup, managing director, Operations, recalled, "my family set up a memorial fund through the ASME Foundation for contributions toward a one-time scholarship for a student in mechanical engineering. Maintaining a dialogue with the student who received this award five years ago has been rewarding."

Remembering, with gratitude, the financial aid he received as a student, Soukup added, "The bequest my wife and I set up is our modest way of helping the ASME Foundation continue its support of engineering education."

To find out how planned giving can work for you and the ASME Foundation, contact Warren Leonard at leonardw@asme.org or visit the Web at www.foundation.
asme.org.

 

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