Changing lives

For Jill and Dave Mertens, giving back to their community comes naturally. "We grew up in families where—by example—we were taught to serve, whether it's serving through giving dollars or time," Dave says. "It feels good to give back," Jill adds.

The Mertens have generously supported Legacy's innovative projects. From the reimagined Emergency Department at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center—featuring Oregon's first Urgent Care embedded within an Emergency Department and the only senior care pathway on the West Coast—to the community-focused collaboration with Adventist Health, Kaiser Permanente, Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health to create the region's first comprehensive psychiatric emergency care center: the Unity Center for Behavioral Health.

"Jill and I both have always felt fortunate to have good health," Dave says. "To improve upon what's already in place or, in the case of Unity, to put something in place where there's a real dire need, was a great opportunity."

By combining a state-of-the-art facility with the freshest ideas, Jill believes Unity will change lives. "You're there for the long haul with mental illness," she says. "I feel it's a place where there's going to be a much better chance of the whole person and the family being treated."

The Mertens used appreciated securities to make their charitable contributions, which allowed them to give more. "It's a good way to leverage the dollars as we run through our budget, increasing our ability to give," Dave states. "And, it's wonderfully easy—we use a form from Legacy and transfer directly, or we instruct our broker to transfer it directly to Legacy's accounts."

For example, if you have shares you purchased for $20,000 that are now worth $50,000, you can transfer the shares to Legacy and receive a tax deduction for the $50,000 donation, as well as eliminate paying capital gains tax, in many cases.

"We always have been incredibly impressed with the leadership at Legacy. I think what they're doing throughout the system—particularly with this project (Unity)—is very impressive to us," Dave says. "We very much trust the people at Legacy," Jill replies.