Kenneth's amazing story

This story starts in October 2010 when we heard from one of our supporters, Kenneth Laycock. He wrote to us letting us know that he had included a gift to Save the Children in his Will. After much deliberation, he thoughtfully decided to leave most of his worldly belongings to help extend Save the Children's work in Africa after his death. In November 2010 at the age of 79, Kenneth sadly passed away after a long fight with a terminal illness.

However, his memory and charity lives on - Save the Children received Kenneth's final gift to children in September 2011, an amazing $313,736. This truly remarkable and generous gift will undoubtedly save the lives of countless children in Africa. Kenneth's wonderful gift serves as a powerful reminder to us all that including a charitable gift in your Will can transform the lives of children long into the future.

Joan's gift of time

Joan Milne was a passionate and long-term supporter of Save the Children. For many years she volunteered her time, energy and skills, working in one of our many op-shops in Adelaide. Last year we heard the sad news that Joan had passed away. However, Joan had the foresight to know that she would be able to support the work of her best loved charities in another way, by including gifts in her Will.

Joan knew that her final gifts would go some way to reflect the passion and dedication that she had throughout her lifetime for her favourite causes. Joan's commitment to transforming children's lives has continued through the gift of $5,000 she included in her Will.

Susan's legacy protects children in Queensland

When the Executors of Susan Elizabeth Rutherford's Will read that her final wish was to help protect children from abuse, they got in touch with Save the Children. Susan's generous gift of $100,000 was directed towards two of our projects in Queensland which support children escaping domestic and family violence. Susan's legacy has helped protect some of the most vulnerable children living here in Australia.

Lal's final gift to help children in India

In July we received a gift in the Will of the late Lal Jethanand Pamnany. He had very generously left 10% of his entire Estate to Save the Children. Although Lal lived in South Australia, he specifically wanted his gift to help children living in India. Lal's gift of 10% of his Estate will provide essential life-saving help to some of India's most disadvantaged children long into the future. A small percentage can make a huge difference.

Katherine's gift makes a mark in New South Wales

Katherine spent her life wanting to see children in New South Wales have a better start in life. She very generously named Save the Children as the sole beneficiary in her Will. She made it clear to us that she wanted her gift to help support our work in New South Wales. In March 2011 we received Katherine's final gift of $391,100.

Her wonderful gift has funded three of our programs in New South Wales - our child health work in Bourke, maternal and child education project in Wilcannia and youth engagement activities in Sydney. Katherine's Will has made a huge difference to children she cared about during her life.

Barbara is continuing to help children caught up in emergencies

Barbara Selby supported Save the Children throughout her lifetime. Each year she made donations to our fundraising appeals. She also generously supported our work in response to emergencies, most recently helping children after a severe cyclone struck Myanmar, the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti and last year's huge floods that put most of Pakistan under water.

Barbara thoughtfully included a $10,000 gift in her Will "to help Save the Children's work with disadvantaged children everywhere". Barbara's final gift can provide nutritious food to feed 20,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition. Her gift will save children's lives.

Mary's support lives on in Victoria

Mary was a staunch supporter of Save the Children's work in Victoria for over 20 years. She had made the decision to include a gift in her Will over the years that she supported us. Sadly Mary passed away in 2010. Her support for improving the lives of children around the world did not die with her. Through Mary's final gift of $5,000 which she included in her Will, we can continue supporting Victoria's most vulnerable and disadvantaged through our work across the region.

Henry's generous philanthropy has a big impact

Henry Baldwin had been a passionate humanitarian and dedicated philanthropist. He was committed to developing communities so that they could make significant improvements themselves, wherever he could. His decision to leave a small percentage of his estate to Save the Children Australia and other charities when he wrote his Will resulted in an inspiring legacy of hope for future generations.

Henry's gift turned out to be over $800,000. His generosity allowed us to significantly expand our programs in Cambodia and Laos. Henry's foresight and generosity will result in more children surviving through to adulthood and learning valuable life-saving skills to benefit the next generation. Truly his gift is a very special legacy that will continue improving the lives of children long into the future.