Gift 
Karen Schaffer Meldrum
Most of us don't look forward to being a year older, but Karen Schaffer Meldrum had her reasons. When she reached 70½, she knew she could use her IRA to make a tax-wise charitable gift to ensure a legacy for wildlife conservation. Here's how she fashioned her dream and made it come true.
"Our family has loved the Saint Louis Zoo since its inception," says Karen. At the 1904 World's Fair, her grandparents were impressed with the Flight Cage that would later anchor the Zoo in Forest Park. In the 1930s, the Zoo brought her parents together when they met on an educational field trip as students.
Growing up, Karen's family visited the Zoo almost weekly, the most memorable occasions being with her Uncle Charles, a missionary priest stationed in Ghana. On his visits to St. Louis, he would often bring back snakes and scorpions from Africa. Then, they would all pile into the car and take them to his friend Moody Lenz, the head keeper at the Reptile House. Later on, they met Charlie Hoessle, who began as a reptile keeper, started the Education Department and led the Zoo for 20 years. Decades later, Charlie hired Karen, who had a wildlife management degree from University of Missouri - St. Louis, to work in the Zoo's Education Department. Lots of interesting adventures came out of that time in her career!
After she retired, Karen wanted to celebrate her family's love for the Zoo with a legacy gift honoring her many ties to animal conservation. In working with the Zoo's Planned Giving Program and the Zoo's consultant from Thompson & Associates, Karen decided to create a named endowed fund with a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from her IRA . She is delighted that the KSM Research Fund she established will support students doing conservation biology research each year in perpetuity. To do so in a tax-wise way only added to the joy Karen felt, saying, "I am blessed to be able to give back the Zoo in a small way for the century-plus years it has given to us!"
Like Karen, you can make a difference for the Saint Louis Zoo through a gift in your estate plan. Contact Lori Sullivan at (314) 646-4509 or Robin Kraujalis at (314) 646-4973, or email us at [email protected] to learn more today.
