State Trustees Australia Foundation and Vision Australia – A Lasting Legacy.

As the trustee of the State Trustees Australia Foundation, State Trustees is committed to understanding bequestors and donors’ interests and preserving their legacies. A retired librarian, Winifred Gleeson, who died in 1998 when she was 70 years old is one such bequestor. During her lifetime she had her will written with State Trustees and left much of her estate to establish a sub-fund with the Foundation.

Established in the name of her late husband and herself, the Thomas James Malcomson and Winifred Gleeson sub-fund indicated a preference to make annual distributions to the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (now known as Vision Australia) which it has been doing now for twenty years.

The initial value of the sub-fund was approximately $1m, and with annual distributions for twenty years, funds provided to Vision Australia have now exceeded the size of the initial gift. As a result of the power of perpetuity, the value of the sub-fund corpus is approximately $1.4m, and it will continue to distribute annually year after year to support people who are blind or have low vision.

Annual distributions to Vision Australia continue to support people who are blind or have low vision from birth through to the elderly across the various life-stages to achieve their goals and dreams and fundamentally to live the life they choose.

Vision Australia understands that giving in perpetuity is a fantastic opportunity to carry on the legacy of a person’s generosity, just like Winifred Gleeson, supporting them to achieve their mission and goals for the community in which they work.

Watch the video of Matt Carrick CEO of State Trustees and Ron Hooton the CEO of Vision Australia as they discuss the everlasting gift left to the organisation and how it has helped over the years.

Leaving a bequest to State Trustees Australia Foundation can genuinely make an everlasting difference in the community, just like Winifred did with her decision to support Vision Australia in this way.

If you would like to know more about charitable giving or philanthropy please call 03 9667 6740 or email foundation@statetrustees.com.au.