Pictured left to right Tomi Allison, Son-in-law Aaron Neal, Granddaughter Isabelle Neal, Granddaughter Allison Neal, and Jim Allison
For Tomi and Jim Allison, Bloomington is more than just a city; it's a living organism comprised of a series of parts that require care and attention.
Originally from small towns in California's San Joaquin Valley, Tomi and Jim arrived in Bloomington in 1963, after Jim completed his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in Psychology. From the get-go, Bloomington felt like home. The closeness of the community and the natural beauty of the region greatly appealed to their sensibilities. But it eventually became evident that to preserve the characteristics of the town they came to call home something more needed to be done.
As Bloomington's mayor from 1983 to 1995, Tomi was integral in laying the groundwork for the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. Inspired by the impact of foundations in neighboring Columbus, Indiana, she saw an opportunity to do something similar here. Although the community already had Indiana University Foundation and the Bloomington Hospital Foundation, it had no foundation that focused on the social, recreational, and artistic needs of the community as a whole. She felt what was needed would be a foundation focused on the livability of the community. Accordingly, she asked members of her staff to research the viability of such a foundation in Monroe County. Thanks to the support of several influential community members, notably former IU President Herman B Wells, the Community Foundation was founded in 1990.
Beyond Tomi's work in founding the Community Foundation, she and Jim chose to invest in the organization personally. Their relationship with the Foundation comprises multiple ways of giving. They established the Leigh Allison Neal Memorial Fund to commemorate their daughter, whose life was so dedicated to the welfare of others that it seemed altogether fitting to memorialize her through a donor-advised fund. Each year, Leigh's daughters, Isabelle and Allison, now 19 and 23, identify causes they want to support. Over the past 11 years, the Leigh Allison Neal Memorial Fund has helped support many local organizations, including Harmony School (RHINO's Youth Center), Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Middle Way House, Community Kitchen of Monroe County, and the Monroe County Public Library.
The Allisons also recently established a Charitable Gift Annuity. Their CGA provides them with both a fixed payment for life and a charitable income tax deduction for the gift portion of the annuity. "It's been a good financial option for us and the community, too," says Jim. The disbursements of the charitable gift annuity will eventually go into the Leigh Allison Neal Memorial Fund, where the legacy of Leigh's impact on the community will continue to grow.
When asked how to encourage people to look into financial planning options offered by the Community Foundation, Tomi said, "We can't take the living organism that is Bloomington for granted. It is individual efforts that make this community the gem that it is. To memorialize a friend who has made significant contributions to the community, we should seriously consider a gift in our friend's name to the Community Foundation as tangible nourishment of the living organism that is Bloomington."
Learn more about Charitable Gift Annuities.
http://cfbmclegacy.org/?pageID=12
Learn more about recent changes to Charitable Gift Annuity rates.