Supporter helps children in need now — and in the future

Linda Miller

For Linda Miller, helping others has been a lifelong pursuit, from volunteering throughout her school years to becoming a Children International sponsor while she was in college.

It’s no surprise, then, that Linda would choose to continue to help underprivileged children after her death by naming Children International as a beneficiary of a percentage of her IRA.

“I started by sponsoring a young girl named Rosalinda in Tabaco, Philippines, in 1986. And I’ve sponsored continuously since then,” Linda says. “It just made sense to me to make Children International a beneficiary so that I could provide some of the financial foundation needed to ensure the organization’s work can continue.”

A passion for giving back

Growing up in Chicago, Linda said she saw a lot of poverty. Her family instilled in her the importance of giving a hand to those who might not be as fortunate.

“I’ve always loved working with children,” she says. Linda decided to volunteer her time to help marginalized children through tutoring. And, while she was in high school, Linda worked summers for the City of Chicago’s outreach program for at-risk youth.

“Helping kids that are underprivileged or under-resourced is just amazing to me,” Linda says. “So many of those kids might have nothing to really stand on to get going, but if you give them just a little bit of help, like health care and an education, they become empowered to change their lives.”

Today, Linda sponsors children in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, using the required minimum distribution from her IRA each year to pay what she wants to give to Children International so that she saves on taxes. It’s a win-win solution for both Linda and the children she supports. And, thanks to her decision to make Children International an IRA beneficiary, Linda has found a powerful way to create a legacy of positive change for generations.