Pete and Jeannie Kalb’s story dates back to high school. They grew up as friends at Sacred Heart School in Oelwein, Iowa, where they both graduated. Then their life-long commitment began in marriage 58 years ago.

Today, Pete and Jeannie live on the family farm in Stanley, Iowa, located a few miles outside of Oelwein. “We have been blessed with five children; Bob, Mary, Larry, Beth and John, who all attended Sacred Heart. When our youngest started school, I began volunteering. I soon became a financial officer and served at that capacity for 15 years,” explains Jeannie.

Pete and Jeannie describe their experiences with the Sisters of the Presentation. “We first became acquainted with Presentation Sisters when our grandchildren attended Sacred Heart. In 1996, Sister Benjamin Duschner became principal. We truly loved her from the start. She did a terrific job as the principal. Later, we were blessed to meet Sister Marilou Irons and Sister Diana Blong. We met Sister Diana at Chautauqua Nursing Home in Charles City where my sister resided. We appreciated her love and compassion. She checked in on my sister often. It was sweet of her. We give thanks to Sister Diana for driving over to Oelwein for my sister’s funeral when she died. The sisters are truly blessings and we are fortunate to have them in our lives.”

Jeannie reminds us that being present at a time of need is a perfect example of the common good. Pete and Jeannie have given service to their community for close to 60 years. “Pete, too, is dedicated to service outside of making charitable contributions. To date, Pete has more than 50 years as a member of the Knights of Columbus. We both feel it is important to give back.”

Following retirement, the couples’ support continues. “Common good is what makes the world better for all of us,” states Jeannie. “To us, this means if we are blessed we have a duty to share those blessings and try to make life better for others. Sometimes we get so caught up in this crazy world we forget this is what God has commanded us all to do.”

“After retiring, I continued my service at a different capacity. I volunteered at Sacred Heart School where our grandchildren were then students. Today we have 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. I am grateful for my time at Sacred Heart, as I volunteered until COVID-19 hit. Sadly, the school has closed,” says Jeannie sorrowfully. “As for Pete, he has farmed all his life and is still farming with our boys, Bob and John. We are so fortunate to have them farm with us.”

As a tribute to the mission and ministries of the sisters, Pete and Jeannie show their appreciation through prayer and as partners in mission. “We see the work being done and make charitable contributions as our way to help others. Pete and I have been so blessed and feel it’s our way of thanking God and making someone else’s life better. The sisters do a good job at keeping us updated on what they are doing by hearing from our Presentation Sister friends. We always enjoy reading about the sisters and seeing pictures in the Presentation Doorways. We are happy to support the Presentation Sisters as our way of saying “thank you” and hoping to help in our small way for the sisters to continue the wonderful work they do. I challenge all to think about how you contribute to the common good.”

“I grew up on a farm in Clare, Iowa. There were four girls and one boy in our Catholic family. All of us went to Catholic school and we were taught by the Presentation Sisters. We also attended Mass regularly. Pat, whom I married in 1959, was not as lucky as me! He also attended Catholic school but did not have the Sisters of the Presentation,” expresses Maureen Hobart, Presentation partner who has included the Sisters of the Presentation in an estate plan as part of her living trust.

“Throughout our life together, Pat developed a good sense of business. Prior to his death in 2016, he worked in a funeral home and observed how others were giving to charity and inquired on how he could too,” shares Maureen. “He knew we could do something that matters, thus he received a recommendation of an attorney and began talking to him to arrange gifts to charities.”

An estate plan involves formalizing how you want to be looked after both medically and financially when something happens to you or when you’re unable to make decisions for yourself, and, how you want your assets to be protected while you’re alive and distributed after you pass away.

Within an estate plan, one could have a living trust and include a charitable remainder trust (CRT), as Maureen has, and/or qualified charitable distribution (QCD). Presentation associate Dr. Janine Idziak is familiar with QCD’s and has an estate plan to include the Presentation Sisters as well. “In fact I converted the stocks in my retirement portfolio into an IRA in order to make QCD’s,” states Dr. Idziak.

A living trust, also known as a revocable trust, is a written legal document through which your assets are placed into a trust for your benefit during your lifetime. At the time of your death, your assets are then transferred to designated beneficiaries by your chosen representative, called a successor trustee.

Maureen adds, “Creating an estate plan was not difficult. Pat really was the one who looked into creating one. The attorneys did their homework, provided us with advice and presented us with options. Some of our favorite charities include helping individuals with disabilities, the Archdiocese of Sioux City and the Sisters of the Presentation. The development of our will and estate plan was not a hard job but it does take time.”

Creating a living trust and will prohibits the estate and charitable contributions from going to probate thus eliminating sometimes prohibitive estate taxes. Property left through a living trust does not pass through probate. Property left through a will does go through probate. Probate is the court system designed to wrap up a person’s affairs after their debts. Probate takes a long time, can be very expensive, and for most estates, isn’t necessary.

In contrast to Maureen, Dr. Idziak had obstacles to overcome before she created her estate plan. “The most difficult thing about making out a will was psychological. I had to squarely face up to my own mortality. But I recognized that making out a will was a way for me to ensure that my money would be used to do good.  It is a matter of ‘stewardship.’”

How does one go about creating an estate plan with the options the benefactors above utilized to make contributions? “Giving While Living” can be done in conjunction with a financial planner or an attorney. Maureen explains a bit about her experience “I was lucky, my husband was really the driving force behind preparing our legacy and we knew God was guiding us to where we need to be.”

One may question, what is the difference between an estate plan and a will? A will may be a relatively simple document that sets forth your wishes regarding the distribution of property such as cash, land, automobiles and items like jewelry; it may also include instructions regarding the care of minor children. An estate plan goes much further and deeper into your assets than a will.

“We created an estate plan because we knew we wanted to leave part of our estate to charity. This makes me happy and I know it is what Pat wanted before he passed away. The Presentation Sisters were my educators. My sister, Sister Mary Dennis Lentsch, is a part of the congregation and we even celebrate reunions and come to visit the motherhouse at Mount Loretto. We wanted to give back to charities that matter to us,” states Maureen as she expresses her love for the Presentation Sisters.

Dr. Idziak concluded with emotion and compassion, “As an associate of the Presentation Sisters, I felt I should support the ministries of the community. I especially appreciate the Presentation Sisters commitment to works of social justice. This is why I have included the Sisters of the Presentation in my estate plan.”