Shared Blessings

“I received such an excellent education in a Christian environment,” says Laurie (Mazza ’60) Valandra. “The professors were caring and had such a prayerful attitude. I was confident going into the big, wide, wonderful world because I was secure that I’d received wonderful preparation.”

Those are just some of the reasons Laurie gives for supporting the work and mission of Houghton University. Throughout her life, Laurie has been grateful for all she received as a student at Houghton. She believes it’s important to share what God has given her by giving back to the school she feels so kindly toward.

Laurie received a scholarship as a student, and, for her, that scholarship was affirmation of the hard work she had done in high school. As she reviewed her securities portfolio, she knew she wanted to give to Houghton in a way that was financially beneficial to the college but also helpful to her own situation. She decided to utilize appreciated securities to create the Emilie and Frank Mazza Endowed Scholarship to honor her parents.

Laurie inherited stock and equities from her father, who had inspired in her an interest in bookkeeping and investing. These assets had appreciated significantly, but Laurie wasn’t collecting much from them as she was reinvesting the dividends. Rather than go through the process of liquidating the securities and dealing with capital-gain taxes and other tax ramifications, Laurie learned she could make a gift to Houghton through a direct transfer from her portfolio. This enabled her to make a more substantial gift and created a permanent legacy through endowment to affirm future generations of hardworking young students.

“It was to my advantage as well as the college’s to share my blessings,” says Laurie. “Being able to benefit students who need help to stay in school and experience Houghton is a wonderful opportunity.”