Love for Dogs and a Desire to Help Children Inspire Couple’s Gift
Mike and Dee Hairston are passionate about supporting Texas Children’s, specifically the Pawsitive Play program, now and in the future through their estates.
For Dee and Mike Hairston, their beloved miniature Australian shepherds, Tucker and Bella, have brought boundless joy and amusement to their lives. As it turns out, Tucker and Bella have also played a central role in the Hairstons’ generosity to Texas Children's Hospital.
Several years ago, when first working on their estate plans, Mike and Dee knew they wanted to incorporate gifts to charity. In researching organizations whose missions aligned with their interest in supporting children’s health and well-being, Mike and Dee were drawn to Texas Children's Hospital. They decided to establish an endowment — a permanent fund that generates an annual distribution for Texas Children’s use — that they could contribute to now and in the future through their estates.
Shortly thereafter, the Hairstons learned about the Pawsitive Play program, which uses animal-assisted therapy to enhance the emotional well-being of pediatric patients. Launched in 2016, the program now comprises five therapy golden retrievers — Elsa, Bailey, Pinto, Pluto and Cohen — who work hard each day to provide comfort to those who may be having trouble coping with a hospital stay, new diagnosis or medical procedure. Given their love for dogs and desire to help children, the Hairstons knew immediately that they wanted their endowed fund to benefit Pawsitive Play. As Dee remarked, “We saw it as the perfect fit for us.”
Elsa, one of the Pawsitive Play dogs at Texas Children’s, provides comfort to a patient.
Following Mike’s retirement last year, the Hairstons revisited their plans, and decided to designate their endowed fund at Texas Children’s as a beneficiary of their retirement plans. With the assistance of their estate attorney, the Hairstons identified giving retirement assets as an ideal way to support Texas Children’s, as the funds will ultimately transfer tax-free to Texas Children’s and are not subject to probate.
In reflecting on their gifts to Texas Children’s, now and in the future, the Hairstons are gratified to know their philanthropy will directly benefit the young patients served by Texas Children’s: “We just knew we wanted to support children — what’s a better cause than that?”
Contact Rachel S. Kronenberger at 832-824-6907 or rskronen@texaschildrens.org to discover how you can easily support our mission through a beneficiary designation. Or, if you’ve already named
us as a beneficiary, let us know.
