Shevrins create living trust to ensure legacy of impact

As it did for many people, when the state of Michigan shut down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it presented Susan and David Shevrin of West Bloomfield with an unprecedented amount of free time.

Susan, a retired public-school Spanish teacher, and David, a long-time nonprofit consultant, decided to use the unexpected pause in their busy routines to plan their estate.

After wide-ranging discussions about the legacy they hoped to accomplish the couple established a revocable living trust that will support a number of organizations with special meaning to them, including Henry Ford Health.

“When you’ve established long-term relationships with people who have provided you and your family with great care, those are people and programs that you want to support,” Susan said. “People like Dr. (Peter) LeWitt and Dr. (M. Elizabeth) Swenor — and others at Henry Ford — have had such an impact on our lives and on our family. When you add that to the community programs and the services that Henry Ford provides, we felt like they’re really acting in a way that is deserving of our support.”

Susan and David are making generous provisions through their trust to support the Parkinson’s Disease program at Henry Ford — an acknowledgment of the years of great care provided by Dr. LeWitt to Susan’s father — along with the Functional Medicine Program in the Henry Ford Center for Integrated Medicine, a program spearheaded by Dr. Swenor that has directly benefited their health.

The couple is also aligned with Henry Ford’s deep commitment to social justice and equity and its service to the community in Detroit. Their trust will also support Community Health, Equity and Wellness initiatives under the leadership of Kimberlydawn Wisdom, M.D., M.S. — Henry Ford’s Senior Vice President of Community Health & Equity and Chief Wellness & Diversity Officer.

“We saw what Henry Ford was doing to bring services to neighborhoods and taking care of people in Detroit, particularly as the city was hit extra hard by COVID-19. This helps build relationships to also get vaccines out, and it showed us that Henry Ford really is a trusted partner in the community,” David said.

In addition to planning contributions through their estate, the Shevrins are supporting these programs with ongoing donations, and David is providing volunteer leadership on the Henry Ford West Bloomfield Patient/Family Advocacy Committee.

A living trust is a flexible financial vehicle that allows you to maintain control of your assets during your lifetime while building long-term value and planning for your legacy.

David noted the helpful support and resources he received from Henry Ford’s Development team – including Senior Gift Planning Advisor Joe Impellizzeri — in achieving his goals. He recommends that others consider the institutions that mean the most to them as they work through their financial planning.

“I think it’s important for people to give to the causes that are meaningful to them. Many people chose to leave all their funds to their children, when in fact they can probably do both,” he said.

Susan added: “We had a lot of time at home during COVID, so we were able to think this through. It gave us the chance to ask the questions: ‘How will we want to be remembered? What is most important to us?’ Now that we’ve done that, we can feel good about the choices we’ve made, and rest assured that things will be taken care of.”