Welcome to the American Lung Association’s
Legacy planned giving online newsletter.
Here, you can find stories about how your support impacts lives across the country by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. We hope you enjoy these stories and will share your feedback with us.
A Lasting Legacy for Lesley
Losing a loved one is never easy, and dealing with the aftermath can be overwhelming. Lesley Reznicek, having lost her family, understands this all too well. However, amidst her grief, she has found solace in giving back to causes close to her heart.
What began as a one-time donation to the American Lung Association turned into a consistent effort to give back in the hope that a bequest of assets on death to be used for research will prevent similar tragedies from happening to other families. Lesley shares that after her losses, she found it easier to do things as they come rather than adding them to an ever-growing list. Giving back by designating the American Lung Association as a beneficiary of her assets, helped provide her with a source of purpose and fulfillment.
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Through her involvement and giving, Lesley has not only made a difference in the lives of others but also found a sense of purpose in her own life. Additionally, she recognizes the importance of including loved ones in philanthropy as a way to honor their legacy through charitable acts.
Lesley’s actions serve as a powerful reminder that giving back is not just about monetary donations or writing checks. It’s about finding ways to leave a lasting impact and bring positivity into the lives of others, even while dealing with personal struggles. Her dedication and selflessness serve as an inspiration, showing that even in the darkest of times, there is always room for kindness and generosity.
The American Lung Association Lung Health Cohort Study Recruits its 1500th Participant
The American Lung Association Lung Health Cohort has reached a significant milestone, recruiting its 1500th participant. This groundbreaking study focuses on young adults aged 25–35, tracking them for five years to explore how their environment, lifestyle choices and physical activity habits influence their long-term respiratory well-being.
Why is this study important? Well, for decades, the medical community has defined lung health as an absence of disease or symptoms. In other words, the lungs of patients are assumed to be healthy until they present with respiratory symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath or wheezing. However, by the time their test results show some abnormalities, it might be too late to intervene.
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The Lung Health Cohort study aims to redefine lung health and determine what are the early signs of lung disease, and what we can proactively do to protect our lung health. Between climate change and pollution, the dangers of vaping, and the emergence of respiratory pathogens like COVID-19 and RSV, there has never been a time where lung health has been threatened more.
Dr. Ravi Kalhan, the Lung Health Cohort Principal Investigator at Northwestern Medicine, emphasizes the significance of such a study:
“Our goal is for this study to fundamentally change the burden of lung health in the U.S. By looking at the lung health of millennials and tracking them for many years, we hope to learn more about how our environment and behaviors impact lung health.”
While we are celebrating the 1500th participant enrolled in the study, there is quite a way to go to hit the planned goal of 4,000 participants. Would you help by recommending that someone you know check out becoming a participant? We are in particular need of persons of color to make sure that the data collected accurately represent the diverse make up and healthcare needs of all people living in America.
Hear from the principal investigator, Dr. Ravi Kalhan, about the study’s vision and purpose.
“By looking at the lung health of millennials and tracking them for many years, we hope to learn more about how our environment and behaviors impact lung health.”
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Dr. Ravi Kalhan, Lung Health Cohort Principal Investigator at Northwestern Medicine
You can visit Lung.org/Lung-Study to learn more about the Lung Health Cohort Study.
Investing in a Critical Partnership to Create a Universal Flu Shot
Every fall, we are reminded to get our seasonal flu shot to safeguard against influenza, because vaccines are undeniably effective in reducing the risk of contracting this contagious respiratory illness. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that between October 2022 and April 2023, up to 54 million people were sickened from influenza, resulting in approximately 650,000 hospitalizations and 58,000 deaths attributed to the disease.
The yearly shot is important because the influenza virus is constantly changing. Each season, scientists must predict which influenza strains are most likely to be prevalent in the upcoming months and select three or four of these strains to be included in the vaccine for that year. Imagine, however, if there was a research breakthrough that made annual flu vaccines obsolete.
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n October 2023, the American Lung Association and Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio teamed up to do just that: accelerate efforts to develop a universal flu vaccine, a type of shot which would not need to be delivered every year and would offer more protection than current vaccines. The three-year, $500,000 Accelerator Program grant to Texas Biomed from the American Lung Association Research Institute speeds up existing, promising research to drive innovations in respiratory health.
“Our goal is to come up with a universal vaccine that will immunize people against all influenza strains, with long-lasting protection,” said Luis Martinez-Sobrido, PhD, Professor at Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed). “This partnership with the American Lung Association enables us to move quickly with this vaccine research.”
While Dr. Martinez-Sobrido and his colleagues are hard at work to develop this universal vaccine, everyone is encouraged to follow the current guidance of yearly vaccines. The current seasonal influenza vaccines are still our best chance to help protect people against severe illness and hospitalization each year.
Leaving a Legacy with American Lung Association
By designating the American Lung Association as a beneficiary of your retirement plan or other financial accounts, you can help us in our mission to create a world without lung disease. Making your gift will not only have a lasting impact on future generations but will not affect your current finances.
Why Choose a Beneficiary Designation?
If you wish to support our cause without any immediate financial impact, a beneficiary designation may be the perfect option for you. By naming us as a beneficiary of your bank accounts, retirement funds, savings bonds and more, you are empowering research, education and advocacy efforts that will continue long into the future.
Additionally, this method of giving does not require a visit to your attorney’s office and can provide tax benefits for your loved ones in the future.
Learn More About Making a Beneficiary Designation
How to Make a Beneficiary Designation
Making a beneficiary designation is simple and can be easily changed or updated at any time. Just request a change of beneficiary form from your financial institution and add the American Lung Association as a beneficiary. By doing so, you are creating a lasting legacy that will save lives.
Tax Benefits of Naming the American Lung Association as a Beneficiary of a Retirement Plan
Not only does naming us as a beneficiary have significant impacts on our shared mission, but it can also reduce the future tax burden for your loved ones. As a tax-exempt organization, the full value of your retirement fund or other account will go toward helping us end lung disease when you make us the beneficiary.
In contrast, leaving your IRA to your loved ones may result in them having to pay federal income tax on distributions, with rates as high as 37 percent. This means that a $100,000 IRA would only be worth $63,000 for your loved ones, while it would retain its full value if left to the American Lung Association.
Beneficiary designation gifts are a popular way to leave a lasting impact on our life-changing research, education and advocacy. Contact our Assistant Vice President of Individual and Planned Giving, Cheryl Smoot, at Cheryl.Smoot@Lung.org or 312-801-7642 to learn more today.
Visit Legacy.Lung.org/sample-beneficiary-designation to get started today.
Your legacy could be a world free of lung disease. I’m here to help.
Your gift will make a lasting impact by helping save lives for years to come.
Cheryl J. Smoot
National Assistant Vice President,
Individual and Planned Giving
Phone: 312-801-7642
Cheryl.Smoot@Lung.org
We are here to answer any questions and to discuss these options to achieve your personal and philanthropic goals. Please email us with any questions you may have.