All of the innovative and vital programs offered by BHcare rely on one thing to keep them going – community support and giving. The BHcare Birmingham Foundation is the fundraising arm of BHcare and helps to raise awareness and much needed funds for the entire organization through special events, planned giving, and other efforts. The support of numerous corporations and citizens across the community ensures the strength and vitality of BHcare and sustains our commitment to providing the best quality care for those who are in need. The Birmingham Foundation offers many opportunities for volunteering and/or gift giving throughout the year, including strengthening the BHcare Endowment Fund; participating in, or sponsoring, the annual Bowl-to-Benefit the Center for Domestic Violence Services (CDVS); taking advantage of planned giving options; and supporting or patronizing our family thrift shops that benefit the Center for Domestic Violence Services (CDVS). BHcare recognizes that gift-giving in the 21st Century requires flexibility and innovation, and we work tirelessly to make giving and volunteering easy and convenient for local businesses, corporations, civic groups, and individuals alike. For more information, please contact Emily Gangi, Director of Development & Communications at (203) 483-2630 x227.

The Birmingham Foundation offers many opportunities for individual volunteering and/or gift-giving throughout the year, including strengthening our Endowment Fund; participating in, or sponsoring, a bowler in our Annual Bowl-to-Benefit the Center for Domestic Violence Services; taking advantage of outright or deferred planned giving options; supporting or patronizing My Sister’s Place (a family thrift shop that benefits domestic violence programs); and/or “adopting” a child or family during the holiday or back-to-school season.

No gift of time, funds, or goods is too large or too small in support of our continued mission to improve the quality of life for our friends, neighbors, relatives, and employees throughout the Valley, Greater New Haven, the Shoreline and beyond. Please, take a moment to review our giving programs on this page or contact the BHcare Development Department at (203) 736-2601.

We established the Denis Olsen Lifeline Fund (DOLF) in 2005 in memory of Harbor Health’s first executive director. Lifeline funds are used to help clients who are in emergency situations. The DOLF provides emergency shelter, clothing, food, and other essentials for clients who are facing homelessness, utility shut-off, eviction, and other crisis situations.

BHcare welcomes the opportunity to establish a memorial of honorarium gift/ fund in the name of your loved one, or in honor/celebration of a special occasion or event. To make a donation to an honorarium or memorial fund already established at BHcare, visit our online donation page. To learn more about establishing a memorial or honorarium fund, contact the BHcare Development Department at (203) 736-2601.

Careful planning of your gift to BHcare can help maximize the benefits to you and to the organization. Federal income, estate, and gift tax laws encourage individuals and their families to make gifts to charity by offering tax savings, credits and deductions. The following are some ways that you can make a significant gift to BHcare and take advantage of these tax savings.

Outright Gifts
If you make an outright gift to BHcare of cash, appreciated securities, real estate, or personal property, and your total deductions exceed your maximum permitted federal deduction for one year, you can claim the excess as deductions on your federal tax returns in the five subsequent years. Below is an explanation of the tax benefits for making the following gifts:

Cash Gift: The full amount of a cash gift, up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income, can be deducted for income tax purposes in the year that the gift is made.

Gifts of Appreciated Securities: If you donate appreciated securities to BHcare, you can avoid capital gains tax on the difference between the price you paid for the securities and their current market value the date the gift is made. You can also deduct the current market value of your securities gift, up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income.

Gifts of Real Estate: If you donate appreciated securities to BHcare, you would be credited with a contribution valued at the fair market value of the real estate, which is ordinarily ascertained by a real estate appraiser.

Deferred Gifts
Life Income Gifts: With a life income gift, you assign cash, securities, or other assets irrevocably to BHcare. They are then invested to pay a lifetime percentage or fixed amount to you, to succeeding beneficiaries, or to whomever you designate. Income is paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually and is taxable to the beneficiary. Upon the death of the last surviving beneficiary, the organization may use the assets either as needed or for a specific purpose for which you have designated. A life income gift gives the donor a substantial charitable deduction against taxable income in the year that it is made, even though it continues to produce income for the donor during his/her lifetime.

Bequests: Gifts by will, whether in the form of cash, securities or other property, may be fully deducted in determining federal estate taxes and inheritance taxes.

Life Insurance: Donors who no longer require the protection of life insurance policies acquired years ago, may realize immediate tax savings by transferring them to BHcare and naming BHcare as the irrevocable beneficiary. An alternative is to take out a new policy, naming BHcare as the owner and irrevocable beneficiary.

BHcare relies heavily on local corporations to support our organization and make our community a happier, healthier place to work and live. We are extremely grateful to all of our corporate partners whose spirit of generosity and commitment to community help us to continue our mission of helping those in need.

Below are ways in which your organization can join the ranks of our community-minded corporate partners who support BHcare and make a tremendous difference in the lives of others everyday!

My Sister’s Place Corporate Drop Bin Program
Corporations/businesses wishing to make a difference in the community by supporting My Sister’s Place (a unique family thrift shop that benefits BHcare’s domestic violence programs) can take advantage of a unique and hassle-free donation opportunity offered by the store – the My Sister’s Place Corporate Drop Bin Program.

My Sister’s Place Corporate Drop Bins collect large donations of clothing and household items from corporations/businesses and their interested employees via collection bins that the corporation/business agrees to host at one or more of their employee work sites. The bins are provided and set up free of charge by My Sister’s Place staff and emptied on a regularly scheduled basis. All employers need do is encourage employees to utilize the bins to donate their unwanted, but good quality items to the My Sister’s Place store. BHcare even provides tax receipts for employees who donate items to the bins.

Corporations/businesses interested in participating in the My Sister’s Place Corporate Drop Bin Program should contact the BHcare Development Office at (203) 736-2601.

Corporate Partnerships
Successful caring and support of our community can only be accomplished if non-profits and corporations work hand and hand. BHcare has developed many avenues for creating innovative, on-going corporate partnerships that directly support our valuable programs and services. These avenues include corporate lending of employees (such as MIS professionals), space (such as conference rooms or auditoriums for workshops, etc.), and goods and services (such as cell phones, computers, and/or vehicles). Other partnership initiatives include corporate subsidies of Bhcare employee trainings and workshops, corporate involvement in our rehabilitation program (such as offering job training or employment opportunities to BHcare clients), and corporate matching of dollars raised through other BHcare initiatives.

General Giving
Bhcare welcomes both monetary and in-kind donations of any size to be designated as a general gift or to support the program of your choice. Many corporations have donated office furniture and supplies, as well as household furniture and goods, vehicles, and services to support all facets of our organization. The Development Department at BHcare will be happy to work with your company to assist you with any giving proposal at any time.

Oftentimes persons and families affected by mental illness, domestic violence, and addiction are faced with not only the challenges of recovery, but also with those of day to day living. The affects of these illnesses and issues can be devastating, both physically and financially. Imagine fleeing from an abuser in the dead of night with nothing but your children and the clothes on your backs. Imagine being stricken with a debilitating mental illness that makes it impossible to maintain employment and the bare necessities that you or your family need to live.

BHcare understands that the individuals and families we serve have issues outside of treatment that need to be addressed in order to achieve a full and successful recovery and return to a productive and hopeful life. That’s why throughout the year, we turn to our community for donations of items that can make the recovery process a little easier for those in need.

Below is a list of items on our donation “wish list” that we are in need of throughout the year. From small items such as non-perishable foodstuffs and pillows to larger items such as winter coats and baby furniture, these donated articles can make such a tremendous difference the lives of the less fortunate!

Donation Wish List

• Non-perishable food items (especially those that appeal to children)
• Bed linens, pillows, and blankets
• Warm clothing (children’s and adults)

If you or your organization would like to donate any of the items on our wish list, or would like to donate something that is not on the list, please contact the BHcare Development Department at (203) 736-2601.

Antoinette’s Angels – a special fund established by a $25,000 donation from Walter Archer in loving memory of his late wife Antoinette – assists women and children residing in the CDVS safe shelter by providing financial resources for services that are frequently unfunded, including: job training, education, childcare, and permanent housing.

Click here to download a pdf version of the Antoinette’s Angels Fund brochure and learn more about this critical program how you can lend your support.

Many companies offer matching gift programs to encourage employees or retirees to contribute to charitable organizations. Some provide matching funds to support employee volunteer hours. Most of these programs match contributions dollar for dollar, and some will even double or triple the amount of your gift! Speak with the HR professional in your office to see if your donation is
eligible for a match.