Chet & Elaine

Our son, David, has developmental disabilities. My wife, Elaine and I found out about Bello Machre through the Ruth Eason Special Education School in Glen Burnie. The Bello Machre mission was so close to my heart, I joined their Board of Directors in the mid 80's. This was over 30 years ago...a time when they were opening their first community homes. A few years later, David, started to receive support services, and in 2007 he joined the Bello Machre family at the Kensington home in Severna Park.

We feel Bello Machre's impact firsthand, and Elaine and I wanted to make sure that they will always be able to help families like ours. We made an estate gift through our will because we wanted to ensure Bello Machre can fulfill its mission for years to come.

This is not a one-time gift. I think it's important to support Bello Machre throughout the year. In addition to participating in the Every Step Counts event, we make annual donations. Due to the recent tax law changes and how they affect donations, we have elected to make our annual gift through the IRA – minimum required distribution (RMD). RMD makes it more advantageous to make our annual gift to minimize our tax liability. We plan to continue to do this for years to come because we feel so strongly about Bello Machre's mission. We hope that our gift, in some small way, will help secure the future for new families who need help.

Now that we are in our 70's, our dream is that David will live long after Elaine and I are gone. He is and has been living a full and rich life at Bello Machre. Although David has a sister who is involved in his life, she won't have the worry about what will happen when David ages and needs even more care and support. We are grateful that Bello Machre has been there for our family and are glad to help them continue to support others.