“We wanted to support Mount Vernon significantly because our volunteer experience has taught us that some people getting off the tour buses—especially our youth—come here with very limited knowledge of George Washington and his service to our country,” says longtime volunteer Ray Hawn of Alexandria, Virginia. Ray, who has volunteered at Mount Vernon since 1993 with Reba, who started volunteering at Mount Vernon in 1998, says the couple is concerned.

“It saddens us to think about how America’s beloved heritage is simply not an important priority for our children or, apparently, their schools. How will this generation fare if they don’t understand what previous generations have done for them?”

To help Mount Vernon educate their guests, the Hawns, who together have logged more than 10,000 volunteer hours, decided to fund a Mount Vernon charitable gift annuity (CGA). They made this decision after learning more about the tax benefits and consequences of different gift types from Mount Vernon’s Development team. A CGA, for example, is a simple contract between the two parties and represents an excellent way for donors to make a significant contribution to Mount Vernon, while also benefiting themselves in retirement with partially tax-free payments and other appealing tax features.

Their CGA was a gift given during the capital campaign that concluded in 2006 and raised funds for Mount Vernon’s two new buildings: the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center and the Ford Orientation Center.

“We knew in our hearts that the story of General and Mrs. Washington needed to be told to more Americans,” Ray says. “We felt that the new buildings would help the public have a better understanding of Washington’s indispensable leadership in creating the new nation. Now that these facilities are completed, we see how successful they are with the mission.”

Ray, who served in the Air Force and also worked as an air traffic controller at Washington National Airport, and Reba, who worked with a government contractor for many years, once lived in one of the neighborhoods near Mount Vernon on land that used to be part of Washington’s farm. They have two sons and two grandchildren, a boy and a girl. Their volunteer experience includes everything from Reba helping prepare for special events to Ray driving VIPs to and from Mount Vernon.

Reba and Ray contribute to a number of charities—including world relief, community ministry, church-related, and scouting organizations—but Mount Vernon sits very high on the list. With significant support like theirs, future generations—like the Hawns’ grandchildren—will continue to be educated about George Washington’s legacy and will not arrive at Mount Vernon not knowing about the Generals legacy to his new country. And all because Reba, Ray and others care so much about preserving our heritage and give with their time and donations for the sake of young Americans.