Meet Our Donors
Transformational and sustainable are two of the words Wendell Alderson and Ken Nather use to describe the work of ReSurge International. That’s also the perfect way to describe the impact planned gifts have on ReSurge.
Wendell has been a volunteer since 2010, and a ReSurge Board member since 2019. While traveling globally as a nurse for surgical trips with ReSurge, he has seen, firsthand, the organization transform from flying in, doing surgery and flying home, to a sustainable model that scales training for early career surgeons, while improving access to surgical care for patients. And he wants to make sure that continues. “It’s so important—and rewarding—to provide care for those who may not have otherwise gotten it,” he says.
Ken, Wendell’s husband, and fellow ReSurge advocate and Legacy Society member, agrees wholeheartedly. He was so inspired by Wendell’s photos, stories, and joy, that he traveled to ReSurge sites to see it for himself. “Seeing it makes it real,” he says. “The medical staff are filled with pride, the patients’ parents are beaming.”
Giving back and leaving a legacy is clearly important to Wendell and Ken, and they have made an estate gift that does just that. They have always supported ReSurge, but eventually decided to create a charitable trust through which they give to the organization monthly, and a set amount will be left to ReSurge for future support.
“We think of it as fulfilling the ‘think globally, act locally’ philosophy,” says Wendell. “It’s the right thing to do,” they say simultaneously.
There are so many easy ways to make a gift to ReSurge. As you consider your philanthropic goals, we hope you’ll consider including ReSurge in your will or trust, as a beneficiary of an IRA, 401(k), or other retirement account. It’s truly transformative.