Taking Care of Pathways
Supporting local community charities is important to Mary and Glenn Johnson. After Mary's mother was served by a hospice in Michigan, she looked around for a hospice in the Bay Area with which she could become involved. Through friends, she learned about Pathways.
Doing their homework
"Once you see the work that hospice does and talk to the nurses, you want to take care of Pathways the way they take care of so many people," Mary says, explaining why she and Glenn have chosen to include Pathways in their estate plans. "We do a lot of research on the charities we've included in our plans. It's very important to us that we can come by, open the door, and see what's going on."
Family tradition of giving
Giving is part of a family tradition for the Johnsons. Glenn's father was actively involved in campaigns for the United Way, while his mother took on Cystic Fibrosis as her personal charity of choice. "It's important when parents bring their children up to know there's something out there bigger than themselves and that philanthropy can make a difference," Glenn shares.
Giving to Hospice in more ways than one
He goes on to reflect that in American culture, "it is hard to talk about dying, which makes conversations about hospice more difficult. People think that's all hospice is about — dying. But hospice is so much more. It's really about making the most of the time you have."
The Johnsons have not limited their involvement to making donations. Mary has twice Co-Chaired Pathways' One from the Heart Awards Breakfast, which has raised more than $3.5 million for Pathways patient and family services.