Family Spotlight

Meet Gregory Ramsey ... A COTA Miracle

Until his 10th birthday, Gregory Ramsey had been a full-time boy, avidly participating in soccer and Tae Kwon Do. Looking back, his parents, Darren and Mary, remember that he bruised easily, but they never really worried about it. On a September day in California in 2005, Gregory came to the breakfast table wrapped in a blanket, and his parents decided to seek medical advice. His first round of tests came back with a diagnosis of pancytopenia, a low production of red and white blood cells and platelets. In January 2006, the diagnosis changed to aplastic anemia. Forced to withdraw from all sporting activities, Gregory started treatment. When those treatments failed, Gregory was tested again and in February 2007 the family received the awful diagnosis: fanconi anemia. The only treatment is a bone marrow transplant.

Faced with mounting expenses, the Ramseys were told to contact the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to find some relief from the mounting stress of the diagnosis and from the news that they would relocate from California to Minnesota for treatment. “Almost instantly, COTA guided a group of our family and friends through fundraising efforts that proved to be a true lifesaver for our family. We were so far from home. COTA provided a website that allowed us to keep our family informed about Gregory’s health, and allowed our friends to send us their prayers.”

According to Darren and Mary, “COTA means there is someone out there fighting for your family’s financial needs so you can spend your time fighting for your child’s health -- not worrying about money. COTA meant we were not alone in Gregory’s transplant journey … COTA gave us hope.”

Luckily a match was found quickly. Gregory received his transplant, and his second chance at life, at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview on December 13, 2007. The family remained in Minneapolis until late March 2008.

“With the many prayers God answered for Gregory through his transplant team and through our COTA network of support, our family was able to witness a miracle,” said his parents. “This was the most unbelievable time of our family’s life.”

In December 2008, the Ramseys returned to Minneapolis for a series of one-year follow-up tests. Gregory is feeling much stronger, is participating in many of his favorite activities in his new school, and is studying very hard. At the checkup, Gregory got two thumbs up.

Truly a reason to jump for joy!

Please visit www.COTAforGregoryR.com and leave the Ramsey family your
own message of encouragement, or make a donation to help with ongoing transplant-related expenses.

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Giving Options

Helping Children Tomorrow By Making Decisions Today

Parents and children often have a different perspective on saving and spending. The parents of retirement age today, who were born during the Great Depression, have a strong desire to save and invest in order to increase economic security. Some of their children may have a different perspective. Because their children did not grow up during adverse economic times, they tend to consume more and save less. Understandably, many of these parents wish their children could have greater economic security during retirement.

Mike and Kristi are recently retired and they have two children, John and Mary. Mike and Kristi bought a lot on an inland waterway when they were in their 40s. But the next year Mike accepted a position in a state that was quite a distance from the waterfront lot. They have owned the lot for over 20 years, but they have never built on the property because of the distance.

Mike and Kristi now are recently retired at age 65. They have retirement income, a home that is paid for and good savings. Recently, Mike received a very good offer from a person who would like to purchase the waterfront lot. After receiving the offer, Mike and Kristi contacted their attorney, Steve, to discuss the best way to maximize benefits for them and their children.

Mike: We have been very fortunate. Kristi and I have just retired and we have good income. We both get Social Security and also have two pensions. With that retirement income and our house paid for, we're doing fine.

Kristi: You might remember that we mentioned buying this lot on the intercoastal waterway years ago. But after we moved south for Mike's new job, it was just too far to travel. We never ended up building our vacation home on that property. Now we've had an offer to buy that property at a great price. We told the person that we weren't quite ready to sell yet but he still seems to be very interested.

Steve: That sounds like a good offer and a good opportunity. It may be the right time to sell that lot. But you know that there is a lot of appreciation and there will be a large capital gains tax.

Mike: Yes, I know. We were doing some research and a friend of ours who is a gift planner for a charity said we could save a bundle with a special trust. He called it a charitable remainder trust. We did some reading online and it seems like a good idea. But we don't actually need the income ourselves.

Kristi: Mike and I like the tax savings, but we thought that maybe what we should do is give the income to John and Mary. They just don't save the way we have. I am very concerned about them. If they don't save more, they are going to need added income during their retirement. With all the financial uncertainty in America today, we would like to see if there is a way to help them.

Steve: Many parents share your desire to provide some added retirement income for their children. You mentioned that charitable trust. Let me show you how a special version of that trust could help John and Mary.

That trust is usually called a unitrust. I am going to explain how a retirement version of that unitrust could work for them. With your offer of $400,000, we could transfer the lot into the trust and then after it is transferred, accept the offer. I suggest the $400,000 in the trust be invested for 20 years. With growth over those 20 years, it could increase to perhaps $1.2 million in value. That's of course depending on how the investments would be during that time, but that's quite possible. If we are able to grow to that level, the trust then would pay approximately $2.5 million to John and Mary during their retirement years. In addition, you would receive a tax deduction today of about $42,000 that could save another $14,000 in tax.

Mike: So if we use that special retirement version of the unitrust, we sell tax-free, get a deduction and the trust grows until John and Mary retire. Then it pays a very good amount to John and Mary. That will very nicely supplement their other retirement income.

Kristi: This sounds like a great use of that lot. It will answer my question on how to provide added retirement income for the children. Let's move forward with this trust.

Mike: Plus, while it's a very long time into the future, there eventually will be a good gift to our favorite charity.

For more information about charitable trusts, simply email Rick Lofgren at or call him at 800.366.2682 for immediate assistance. The details will be mailed to you immediately, and Rick will be happy to work with you should you have questions.

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Ways You Can Help

Pennies, Nickels and Dimes DO Add Up

The United States Mint estimates there are more than 140 billion pennies in circulation today. Most of them sit in jars on top of dressers, under car mats, behind couch cushions or in piggy banks. Coinstar®, a national coin redemption machine manufacturer, estimates that the average eight-ounce jar of coins equals $14.27 -- and a gallon jug filled with coins can net as much as $228.34.

These numbers add up to hope and miracles for COTA, or for a local COTA campaign in your area. By putting some of the helpful hints below into action, you can turn your loose change into lifesaving dollars.

What kind of collection container should I use?

The Better Business Bureau says to make sure your donation coin collection container clearly identifies the charity and lists an email or telephone number potential coin contributors can contact for more information.

You can request Coin Collection Canisters at no cost from the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA). A Miracle Maker Canister Sheet can be customized with your contact information. To request COTA Canisters, email cota@cota.org or call 800.366.2682.

You may also opt to create your own collection devices, but you must use the same identifying information as on the COTA Canister template, and you must have the information pre-approved by COTA before printing.

Some other types of containers include:

• Water Cooler Jugs
• Glass Jars
• Flower Pots
• Fish Tanks
• Wishing Well
• Piggy Banks

Where can I collect coins?

• On a Counter. Identify businesses in your community that will allow you to place a coin canister near the cash register. Consider places where people often have loose change like coffee or donut shops and newspaper stands.
• Customer Greeting Area. Request the assistance of businesses that will place your container on a customer reception desk. One COTA Miracle Maker placed the box on the edge of his desk for a month and collected over $500 from his co-workers who simply dropped their loose change in as they left the office each day!
• As a Door Stopper. This can be particularly effective in school classroom doorways where kids can drop in a few coins to help another child in need of a life-saving transplant. Recently some members of the Texas A&M University Cadets collected over $28,000 in coins from the crowd at a sold-out football game. Their efforts were donated to COTA in honor of Cooper K. They anticipate repeating “Coins for Cooper” at an Aggie basketball game.
• At Home. Place a container on your kitchen counter and encourage family members to empty loose change from their pockets daily. It will do more good in the container than in your sofa cushions!

How do I get the coins to COTA?

Putting your collected change to work for COTA is easy. Four COTA Miracle Maker bank accounts have been established nationwide to collect donations. You can likely find one or more branches of these financial institutions in your community:

Chase Brand/Bank One System
RE: COTA Miracle Makers
Account Number: 2917125714

Bank of America
RE: COTA Miracle Makers
Account Number: 229008209370

Wachovia Bank
RE: COTA Miracle Makers
Account Number: 3000025117027

Wells Fargo Bank
RE: COTA Miracle Makers
Account Number: 6733374216

Please have the account number with you when making your deposit. If you would like your donation to be earmarked in honor of a COTA family in your area simply contact COTA after making your deposit.

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COTA News

April is National Donate Life Month

April is National Donate Life Month. National Donate Life Month (NDLM) was instituted in 2003, and grew out of the federally proclaimed National Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Awareness Week. Each year, National Donate Life Month features 30 days of local, regional and national activities to help encourage all Americans to become organ donors.

A national report shows an increase of 9,000,000 donor designations over the last 18 months, bringing the total number of registered donors in the United States to nearly 80 million. Even with this great success, there is still a shortage of organ donors … and much work to be done.

April is the perfect month to share your commitment to COTA and to organ donation with family members, work colleagues, church family members, your child’s school, etc. Make a donation in honor of a child who is waiting for an organ. Order organ donor cards from COTA and distribute them to your family, friends and colleagues. Volunteer to help a COTA campaign in your area.

Let COTA know how we can help you give hope and make miracles during National Donate Life Month.

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COTA Fast Fact

The Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) provides:
Funds Available for Transplant-Related Expenses
Funds raised through the Children’s Organ Transplant Association in honor of patients are available for ongoing transplant-related expenses that include transportation, lodging, and food for follow-up transplant center visits; medications; co-pays and deductibles; and medical care. COTA funds are also available for post-transplant care.

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