Creating Your Legacy

Mike and Mary McGraw are proud that so many families leave Cincinnati Children’s with triumphant stories of healing and new life. But the McGraws also know that some stories end in loss, and that grieving families need a source of comfort, encouragement and companionship.

“The Pastoral Care team at Cincinnati Children’s are unsung heroes,” Mike says. “They meet so many needs of the patients, families and even the staff. They help everyone get through incredibly difficult situations.”

The McGraws have a long history with Cincinnati Children’s. Mike has served on the Board of Trustees and currently serves on the Foundation Board. As a teenager, Mary volunteered at the Convalescent Hospital for Children, and more recently she has helped raise funds for the hospital through her work with other auxiliary groups like Kindervelt and the Association of Volunteers.

Last year, the McGraws made their most lasting contribution yet, when they set up a planned gift to Cincinnati Children’s. It’s actually the second planned gift they’ve put in place, because they believed the time was right to show how much they appreciate the work and mission of Cincinnati Children’s.

“We realize how much of an asset Cincinnati Children’s is for our community. Not much time goes by when you don’t hear about or talk to someone who’s had a touching experience here,” Mike says. “We hoped to do two things with this planned gift. One is to show how strongly we feel about Cincinnati Children’s, and the other is to set an example for others who might consider doing the same thing.”

The McGraws’ gift will benefit the Pastoral Care team, which offers guidance and emotional support to people of all faiths, languages and cultural backgrounds.

“Our own faith and the way we were raised has particularly endeared us to the pastoral care work,” Mary says.

Thanks to the McGraws’ support, that work will continue to benefit the patients and families at Cincinnati Children’s – no matter how their stories might unfold.

Photo above: Mike and Mary McGraw with Mary’s father, Guy D. Randolph, Jr.