Remember Mercy Ships in Your Will

By remembering Mercy Ships in your will, you can help future generations to see, walk or smile for the first time – and even save lives! You can affect whole communities through one of our many development projects. Imagine funding a health clinic, safe water supply or a livestock program for an entire village!

Anything you can give takes us one step closer to a world where nobody is left to suffer simply because they have no access to health care and other basic necessities. This has to be a future worth investing in!

Making a Will

Writing a will is essential if you want your estate to pass to the people you wish to benefit. If you die without one, the law decides how your estate is distributed, and the causes or people you really care about may receive nothing. If no relatives are found, your entire estate goes to the government. Please contact your lawyer about drafting a will that reflects your desire to leave a gift to Mercy Ships. Most of us will never have the opportunity to serve on a Mercy Ship, but that does not mean that we cannot leave a legacy of healing.

Updating a Will

You should review your will annually because circumstances change which may revoke it, including the birth of a child, marriage, or the death of a spouse. If changes need to be made, the cost will be less than having a new will written. If you only need to make a few changes, you can make a legal addition to your will known as a codicil.

You can leave any type of gift to Mercy Ships -- cash, real estate, investments, personal property or a percentage of your whole estate. Whatever the size of your donation, your gift to Mercy Ships will transform lives and bring hope to the hurting.

Sample Clauses

Here are some sample clauses your lawyer can use to word your bequest:

1. Specific Cash Gift Bequest

"I DIRECT my Trustee(s) to pay the sum of __________ DOLLARS ($___________) to MERCY SHIPS CANADA SOCIETY, whose current address is #5 - 3318 Oak St., Victoria, BC V8X 1R1. The receipt of an appropriate officer of Mercy Ships Canada Society shall be a sufficient discharge of my Trustee(s)."

2. Residual Bequest

"I DIRECT my Trustee(s) to pay ________ (insert number that equates to a percentage) parts of the residue of my estate to MERCY SHIPS CANADA SOCIETY, whose current address is #5 - 3318 Oak St., Victoria, BC V8X 1R1. The receipt of an appropriate officer of Mercy Ships Canada shall be sufficient discharge of my Trustee(s)."