Schwartz Family Leads Life of Example Through Philanthropy and Planned Giving

Philanthropy for the Schwartz family—Dawn, Eric and Natalie—is more than just being generous with their time, talents and resources, it’s truly a way of life. The way this Clive, Iowa family cares for others exemplifies the original definition of the term philanthropy coined over 2,500 years ago by Greek playwright Aeschylus; it’s a “love of humanity.”

Dawn, who serves as ChildServe’s vice president of care quality and has been with the organization for six years, has a heart for overseeing the well-being of others and giving back. It’s why she’s simultaneously continued her 27-year nursing career—working weekends as a neonatal nurse practitioner in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) caring for infants who are born early or require extra support following delivery. It’s why she and her daughter, Natalie, spend time volunteering to help children and young adults who receive outpatient therapy services at ChildServe with arts and crafts projects. It’s why she has given to countless charities, such as Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa, March of Dimes, Variety—the Children’s Charity and many more. And, it’s why the family collectively decided to make ChildServe a beneficiary of their family trust.

Dawn attributes her passion for helping and serving others to her Midwest Catholic upbringing and the selflessness of two hardworking parents.

“My parents had a simple philosophy and approach to life—‘do what you can for those who can’t.’ Even though they weren’t millionaires, they gave their time, talents and finances when and where they could, always taking care of other people,” said Dawn.

The eldest of six, Dawn grew up in a home with many children. Her mom, a nurse who transformed into chief operating officer of their home, and dad, a former Marine who later became a federal meat inspector, fostered pregnant teen mothers and dozens of infants over the years. They were actively involved in their parish and community, supporting Catholic Charities, The Lions Club, The Knights of Columbus and numerous other charities and nonprofit organizations.

Dawn seemed to learn the spirit of philanthropy through osmosis, a trajectory she has paved for her own family as well.

“As someone who has worked in the highly intense NICU environment, now rooted into the amazing culture of ChildServe, she recognizes that someday she won’t be able to give in the same way she does today,” Eric said. “After she passes, she wants to be able to continue to make a difference, and through planned giving, it’s the perfect match—she can give even years after we’re gone.”

Though the family’s philanthropy has been engrained from the beginning, their financial and estate planning was jolted into motion when Dawn was pregnant with Natalie, who is now 16 years old.

“At the time, I was working as a neonatal nurse at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City,” Dawn said. “Tragically, a pregnant mother and her husband were in a fatal car accident, but their baby survived and spent time in our NICU. Although there were family members ready and able to care for the baby, the couple didn’t have a will completed, so the baby was discharged into foster care until legal details could be finalized.”

The next day, Eric, who is a geologist and serves as a senior environmental consultant at an environmental law firm, walked down the hallway of his office building to speak with an estate planning attorney—and the couple’s planning journey, which included trusts, living wills and advance directives for medical decisions, began.

Over the years, Dawn and Eric chose to include Natalie in their financial and estate planning process. Initially, they made decisions for her, but as she matured, they made decisions as a family.

“So many of us don’t want to talk about death, but as a family, we share with Natalie that it’s really part of living,” Dawn said. “It’s important to make these decisions about even practical things, like what happens to your house. We don’t want these decisions to one day fall in her lap. Rather, we make choices with and in consideration of her.”

“In our day-to-day activities, it’s easy to get caught up in the concept of living forever, but life doesn’t always go in the order we plan,” Eric adds. “It’s a long-term mindset. You need to prepare not only for yourself, but also make important decisions that impact others while you still have the opportunity.”

Natalie, a sophomore at Dowling Catholic High School, is following in her parents’ footsteps and has been giving back from the time she was born—attending Variety—the Children’s Charity Telethon events, volunteering with Meals from the Heartland, March of Dimes, ChildServe and more. She says her future plans include becoming a nurse practitioner. Natalie’s first step to achieving this goal will entail completing a certified nursing assistant course while she’s still in high school.

As far as the family’s estate gift to ChildServe, Dawn remains passionate about helping others well into the future.

“You can’t take your money with you. The beauty of planned giving is that we get to decide how the money we earn during our lifetime is allocated,” Dawn said. “The powerful work we do at ChildServe has to be supported by more than insurance, and we are proud to play a role in our mission to help children and young adults with special healthcare needs live a great life for years to come. We trust how our family’s estate gift will be used at a place that resonates with us like nowhere else has.”

When you decide to build a house, you have a general idea of the steps in the process and the experts and partners involved. Plans for your future home will show you the layout of the rooms. Engineers, architects, electricians and plumbers ensure the safety and functionality of your home. Estate planning also has a series of steps and key partners. The first step is to figure out how much your estate is worth by making an inventory of your assets, such as real estate, retirement funds and life insurance. An important expert in your journey is an estate planning attorney. In addition, other key partners are an executor to carry out the terms of your will, a guardian to care for your children and dependents, a durable power of attorney to act as your financial decision maker if needed and a healthcare power of attorney to make healthcare decisions if you are not able to make them for yourself. If you have any questions as you take this first step and assemble your team of experts and partners, please contact Colleen Rogers Messenger CAP® at 515-251-5572 or colleen@childserve.org for more information.