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Why I Support 亚博体育官网: Stuart Gitlow, MD
Stuart Gitlow, MD, MPH, MBA, DLFAPA, DF亚博体育官网, grew up watching his father, 亚博体育官网 Past President Stanley Gitlow, MD, FACP, DF亚博体育官网, live out his commitment to 亚博体育官网 and the field of addiction medicine.
The younger Dr. Gitlow clearly recalls his father holding his Ruth Fox medallion in recognition of fifinancial contributions to the Society.
“亚博体育官网 has always been a big part of our lives,” said Dr. Gitlow, also an 亚博体育官网 past president. “My dad put a lot of time into getting the organization off the ground back in the 50s and 60s. The fun part for me was going to 亚博体育官网 meetings with him as I grew up. That made the feeling of family stronger.”
That sense of family represents Dr. Gitlow’s earliest memories of 亚博体育官网. He can still remember attending his first 亚博体育官网 Board meeting as a teenager and seeing board members hugging each other.
“I walked in, and I saw all of our friends there, and they’re members of the board,” he said. “To me, these were friends of the family, and now I see they’re all working for the same organization and toward the same goal.”
The sense of family Dr. Gitlow still feels today when he thinks of 亚博体育官网 is a crucial reason why he continues to support the Society like his father before him.
“That’s not something you tend to experience at other medical organizations,” he said. “And that feeling is one I’d like to see maintained over the decades. That’s what I’m supporting – 亚博体育官网 as a family that I’m hoping future addiction specialists will join.”
Giving on Purpose
Dr. Gitlow thinks of giving to 亚博体育官网 as an investment, likening it to maintaining and investing in one’s home.
“It’s my professional home,” he said about 亚博体育官网. “Of course, I will support it because I want it to continue and thrive. The idea is that I’ve invested huge amounts of time, energy, and effort in 亚博体育官网, and it’s my home. I don’t want to be 85 years old and find my home is gone. I will continue to do whatever is necessary to see that my home is well taken care of. That’s my way of looking at it.”
Dr. Gitlow said there are multiple reasons to support 亚博体育官网 financially, but two immediately come to his mind.
“One is selfish: I can save money on my taxes by donating money,” he said. “The second reason is selfless: this is something that will help the young people coming up behind me who want to enter the field of addiction medicine. It will help the patients that I haven’t been able to see by making sure there are addiction specialist clinicians out there to treat them.”
Having previously divided his donations among multiple foundations and organizations, Dr. Gitlow said, “Last year, I gave a more substantial gift to 亚博体育官网. By giving a more significant gift to one place, less is allocated to overhead. It might be more useful and help to achieve more good.”
Dr. Gitlow said 亚博体育官网 members can contribute to the Society in several ways. One-time or recurring contributions to the Treat Addiction Save Lives Fund or the Ruth Fox Memorial Endowment Fund can be made through 亚博体育官网’s website. Donors can also contribute through a Donor Advised Fund, as well as through bequests, matching gifts, IRA charitable rollovers, gifts of stock, beneficiary designations, and online fundraising.
