Fullers Plan Scholarship Through Their Estate

Doris Fuller of Lee's Summit, MO, had three good reasons when she recently decided to include the University of Central Missouri in her estate plans.

First, she wanted to honor her parents, Earl and Thelma Ballew, “who believed in education, hard work and personal responsibility but most of all who believed in me.”

Second, she wanted to honor her husband, Joe, “who supported and encouraged me during my career.” Fuller had a successful career in the corporate world.

Third, she wanted to honor the two schools that gave her an educational basis for success, College High and Central Missouri, “for providing me the opportunity for an excellent education at an affordable price.”

By contacting the UCM Foundation, Fuller, a 1970 business graduate, connected with Joy Mistele, senior major gifts officer for the Harmon College of Business. The two worked together to establish the Ballew-Fuller Scholarship endowment, which will eventually help full-time students pursuing undergraduate business degrees.

The Fullers' belief in hard work and responsibility also extends to the recipients, who must demonstrate those qualities through the ability to earn a portion of their college expenses. In addition, recipients must have a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.

“Many donors are choosing to make UCM part of their estate plans and contacting us now to establish the details of how they want their gift used in the future,” says Mistele. “In addition to a planned gift, several donors also are involved in gifting early through annual contributions, providing immediate support for scholarships. Either way, UCM students are the true beneficiaries. We were pleased to work with Doris and Joe Fuller on this wonderful future gift for business students.”

Learn How You Can Help
For more information please contact the Office of Planned Giving at 660-543-8000 or toll-free at 866-752-7257 or [email protected].