Vol. 10 No. 1 - Winter 2009

Donor Spotlight: Norm Slader Makes a Gift of Life Insurance

Norm Slader, Seattle Lighthouse Director of Engineering Services

“Giving is a basic human activity,” says Norm Slader, Seattle Lighthouse Director of Engineering Services. “I think everyone gets enjoyment out of being able to give something to someone else. Charity is an extension of that.”

Norm has supported the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation’s annual fund for years. He recently designated the Foundation as a beneficiary of his life-insurance policy. This special planned gift will go into our endowment to sustain enduring opportunities for blind and Deaf-Blind people.

“There are so many worthwhile charities. You have to pick a few out,” Norm says. “If you work at the Lighthouse, then you know the good work the organization does first-hand. It’s a natural choice.”

Norm has spent over 30 years working in blindness agencies. Before joining The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. team in 1997, he worked for National Industries for the Blind (NIB) in engineering and contract administration. “When I was looking for employment, I liked what the mission at NIB was about. I liked that the AbilityOne Program accomplishes goals for affecting people’s lives.”

The AbilityOne Program serves to employ visually impaired individuals and provide goods and services to the Federal Government at a fair price. “It’s a program based on opportunity for the agencies and for people who are blind to have jobs and get training,” Norm says. “That’s what is unique and that’s what drew me to NIB and Seattle Lighthouse. It makes me feel like this is a worthwhile place to work.”

Norm especially appreciates seeing the direct impact his work has in people’s lives at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. “Here, everything you do has immediate results,” he says. “It’s rewarding to see how we’ve grown in making jobs accessible. We are one of the model agencies in the AbilityOne program. It’s nice to work for an agency that is good at what it does and is recognized for it.”

Norm chose to make a gift of life insurance to sustain our mission into the future. “It’s a convenient vehicle for me,” he explains. “I’m nearing retirement and I’m at a place where I can share more. I hope that my gift will be part of building an endowment where the income could fund a large portion of our mission-related activities — the programs and services we offer above and beyond manufacturing.”

He adds, “The endowment enables us to make a better commitment to provide services to the blind and Deaf- Blind communities. The economy goes up and down, and so do donations. The non-profits that have been around that have built endowments are in great shape. This way, we can take the long view and be very stable and successful in fulfilling our mission.”

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