Meet Dennis Wieland

When it comes to giving back, Dennis Wieland believes that we all have a desire to help others in need.

“It’s nice to do some good in the world instead of just existing,” Dennis said. “We don’t count our blessings enough.”

For Dennis and his family, one of those blessings is Akron Children’s Foundation.

• The Wieland family has relied on the hospital since the 1930s, when Dennis’ father was a patient.
• Dennis received care at Akron Children’s in the 1950s when he had his tonsils and adenoids removed. Thirty years later, so did his son, John.
• In 1999, Dennis’ grandson, Jonah, underwent surgery at just 5 weeks old at the hospital for pyloric stenosis, a rare condition that affects the gastrointestinal tract in babies. Today, Jonah is 24 and just finished a successful collegiate football career.

To support Akron Children’s, Dennis uses distributions from his IRA.
If you’re 70½ or older, Dennis said it makes perfect sense to use your IRA’s qualified charitable distribution to avoid unnecessary taxes and make charitable donations.

“It’s very simple to do,” he said. “If you’re 70½ or older, you just call up the institution that handles your IRA, give them the name of the organization you want to support, let them know how much you want to give, up to $100,000, and then they can mail the check directly to the institution. The gift is excluded from your adjusted gross income and can save you money at tax time. Plus, if you’re required to take a minimum distribution, a gift from your IRA can help you meet that.”

Find out how you can use your IRA distributions to support the kids at Akron Children’s. Contact Jason V. Sanders, JD at plannedgiving@akronchildrens.org or 330-543-8343 to learn more.