Ann Kelsall
I t was a quirk of fate that brought the New Jersey born, Pennsylvania-educated Ann Kelsall to Doane College and Crete, Nebraska. After years of working in New York City, Kelsall moved with her sister, Helen, to Nebraska in order to be near Helen's son in Lincoln.
A neighbor of Kelsall's nephew, who formerly taught at Doane College, mentioned Doane Village. After one look at the apartment and the campus, Kelsall said: "This is it."
The fine arts programs and the beauty of the campus keep Kelsall involved with college life. She walks and rides her bike about the campus and town of Crete and participates in "swimnastics" in the Butler Gym pool. She has audited history classes with professors Coulter and Gleason.
"It is the people of Doane College who make it work," Kelsall said.
"I mean all the people: the maintenance staff, the students, the faculty and professional staff," she added.
Kelsall purchased a gift annuity from Doane as a business decision after attending an estate seminar in Scottsdale, Ariz. "Back in the 1990s the value of investments was going up and I wanted a stable income with a way to avoid the taxes on the capital gains from securities. A gift annuity seemed like a nice way to make a gift to the college and enhance my financial picture at the same time," Kelsall said. "A gift annuity provides an income I won't outlive."
A Charitable Gift Annuity is a contract between a donor(s) and Doane College whereby Doane agrees to provide fixed payments for the life of a designated annuitant(s). The amount of the payments is based on an actuarial table supplied by the American Council on Gift Annuities and the size of the gift. The amount of tax savings is calculated using a formula provided by the government.
"Many people have trouble thinking past their immediate lifetime. I want to be part of something long lasting and bigger than I am."
Kelsall maintains a very active social calendar that includes a bowling league and volunteering at the Crete Area Medical Center. She is a board member on the Crete Area Health Care Foundation. She has three main charities that are close to her heart and she tries to support them to the best of her ability. She has defeated cancer twice and life remains a precious pursuit.