Gale Barre first became acquainted with Heritage University through Seafirst Bank (now Bank of America) where she worked for many years before retiring in 2001. Early in her banking career, serving as Assistant Vice President of Community Relations, Gale had the opportunity to meet with Sr. Kathleen Ross, co-founder of Heritage University. Over the years Gale toured the campus and was impressed in watching it grow, both structurally and in student enrollment.
When it was time to complete her estate plan, Gale met with her attorney and thoughtfully decided to include a bequest to Heritage University.
"I chose to focus my charitable giving on education because I really think it is the door to opportunities. What attracted me to Heritage was that its many diverse students are really committed to getting their education and opening doors for themselves. And in most cases, they are the first in their families to attend college," said Gale.
According to Gale, including Heritage in her estate plan was an easy decision, and she finds it comforting to know that everything is already taken care of. She stresses that making a legacy gift is something everyone can do, regardless of the size of their estate. Gale believes that supporting Heritage students is giving them a "hand up, not a hand out."
Throughout her retirement, Gale has remained active in the community by serving on a variety of boards. Although her travel plans have been curtailed during the pandemic, she looks forward to once again traveling to meet family in France. She also hopes to attend her grandson's graduation from Emory University in May.
Heritage University is grateful to Gale for making the decision to include the university in her estate plan.
