A Reason for Giving

According to Roger and Audrey Schultz, there is often a reason for everything. As grandparents of a child diagnosed with cerebral palsy in the early 1970s, they feel that if today's breadth of medical services had been available at the time of their grandson's birth, the severity of his condition might have been lessened.

Cerebral palsy is caused by injuries or abnormalities of the brain. Most of these problems occur as a baby develops in the womb, but they can happen at any time during the first two years of life while the infant's brain develops. Premature babies are at a slightly higher risk of developing this condition. This is one reason why Roger and Audrey chose the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) as the beneficiary of their first charitable gift annuity established with Children’s Wisconsin.

"It just breaks our hearts to see babies with tubes in their bodies," commented Audrey. "If we can help them right away when they are born, that's what we want to do. We want them to lead as close to normal a life as possible. That's our goal."

When the Schultzes set up a second charitable gift annuity with Children’s Wisconsin, they chose to support the hospital's greatest needs. They felt this gift was another way to ensure the growth of our endowment while providing support for future breakthroughs in pediatric medicine.

For Roger and Audrey, the reason behind their giving is uncomplicated. "If we can help in some small way, if it can help the babies…if they can be saved…then let's do it!" Their ultimate wish is for parents and families to find strength and hope.

As Audrey remarked, "At our age, we rely on each other and our senses of humor to keep sharp." She shared their wish that the babies in the NICU grow up healthy, develop their own senses of humor and be able to reach their full potential.

Through their two charitable gift annuities and designation of Children’s Wisconsin in their will, Roger and Audrey are making a difference in the lives of our littlest patients and their families.