If The Heights has made a meaningful difference in your life, you might consider making it a part of your legacy through a planned gift. Below are some ways you can incorporate The Heights into your estate plan.
In as little as one sentence, you can include The Heights in your will or living trust:
“I give to The Heights Inc., EIN: 52-1128002, located at 10400 Seven Locks Road Potomac, MD 20854, or its successor thereto, [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose.”
The three most common types of bequests are specific, percentage, and residual.
Specific: Names a specific amount or item to be given by your estate.
Percentage: Names a percentage amount to be given by your estate.
Residual: After all other bequests are made, whatever is left over is given by your estate.
Besides bequests, you might consider a beneficiary designation of IRAs, retirement plans, life insurance policies, or commercial annuities.
Here’s how to designate The Heights as a beneficiary:
- Contact your retirement plan administrator, insurance company, bank, or financial institution for a change-of-beneficiary form.
- Decide what percentage (1 to 100) you would like The Heights to receive and name The Heights Inc., along with the percentage you choose, on the beneficiary form.
- Return the completed form to your plan administrator, insurance company, bank, or financial institution.
If you include The Heights in your plans, please be sure to use its legal name and federal tax ID number.
Legal Name: The Heights, Inc.
Federal Tax ID Number: 52-1128002
Address: 10400 Seven Locks Road Potomac, MD 20854
Individuals who have recognized The Heights in their estate plan are invited to join The Heights Legacy Society.
Have you already made The Heights a part of your estate plan? We’d love to know! Please contact us with your intent so we can ensure your gift is honored in the way you have in mind.
Please contact James Kolakowski at 301.365.0227 x254 or jkolakowski@heights.edu for additional information on bequests or to chat more about the different options for including The Heights in your will or estate plan.
Hear From Legacy Society Members
Navy veteran attributes his success to The Heights
Nearly 40 years later, Mark Maglin ’83 still gets together with the lifelong friends he made at The Heights. As the last class to graduate from the former campus in the Friendship Heights neighborhood, which had no athletic facilities, the boys played pickup football in the empty lot across from the school.
Although he didn’t attend the iconic Potomac campus, Mark says it was the people who truly mattered—his classmates and teachers. He calls the faculty “lifelong learners” who brought expertise and passion from the professional field to the classroom.
“It’s not just about academic preparation; it’s also about life preparation,” Mark says. “It’s about developing the whole person.”
After graduating from The Heights, Mark attended the U.S. Naval Academy and served as a naval aviator for 24 years, retiring from the Navy as a commander. He currently works in the cybersecurity industry and lives in Annapolis.
“I look back and see the foundation that I got from The Heights and the role models there,” Mark says. “The academic preparation, the rigor and the discipline has been part of my success in my career.”
Mark and his wife, Missy, have been making a monthly contribution to The Heights for years. With their two kids now grown, the couple decided to revise their will and name The Heights as a beneficiary of their estate. The gift is a memorial to Mark’s mother, who made financial sacrifices to put him through school.
“I owe a part of my success to The Heights,” he says, “so why wouldn’t I include them in my estate plan?”
A Planned Gift to Sustain the Future
From the environment to the curriculum and Catholic faith, every aspect of The Heights impressed Barbara and Bill Kelley when they were exploring their son’s future education.
“It was absolutely positive on all aspects,” Barbara recalls. “He was where he needed to be.”
While Patrick, a 2018 graduate, seamlessly transitioned from a Montessori school, his parents also found their place within The Heights.
“The school makes it clear in their narrative that parents are the primary educators and they welcomed parents and what’s more they welcomed mothers.”
Barbara quickly embraced what The Heights offered to her family, visited at parent coffees and volunteered when able. Today, she continues that patronage, establishing a planned gift in her and her husband’s estate.
“It was an easy decision,” she said. “If you care about the sustainability of the school, this is a great way to invest in it.”
Barbara recalls that before her son started at The Heights, the chapel had just been completed, funded by donations of families that had come before the Kelleys.
“Our son had the blessings from attending Mass in the chapel,” she said. “Their generosity paved the way for future families. That is what a planned gift does¬—gives to those who come after our son.”
After Sending 7 Boys to The Heights, School Community Is Like Family to the Beattys
Jean and Dan Beatty have 11 children—four girls and seven boys. Their sons attended The Heights from third grade through graduation. And one of their sons now teaches at the school.
“While our sons share genetics, they are incredibly different from each other,” Jean says. “Some are more athletic, some are more academic, some are more social. But each one had an amazing experience at The Heights.”
“They (The Heights) look at every boy as an individual, fostering their individual needs and talents,” Dan adds. “Academically The Heights is very rigorous, giving students the ability to think critically and write well. And while they emphasize academics, the main draw of the school for us is religious development, character development and working with the parents to form young men of strong integrity.”
Over the years, the school community became an important part of the Beattys’ lives and now feels like extended family.
“The Heights community has been such a profound blessing to us, not just the boys but everyone in the family,” Dan says. “We thought, let’s treat them like part of the family when it comes to planning our estate. The school will get one-twelfth of our estate, so it’s treated like a 12th child in effect.
“For much of our time at the school we relied on financial aid. The last several years we were able to pay full tuition and we were happy to do that. We got a lot out of the school and we hope our gift makes it possible for other families to send their sons who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it.”
The Lulli Family Legacy: Supporting The Heights
The Heights has shaped the virtue and character of generations of students, including the Lulli family.
Ignacio Lulli ’83 and his two older brothers were among the first to attend the school. Their sons—eight Lulli boys in total—followed decades later.
“It was obvious that we wanted (son) Andres (’14) to go to The Heights,” Ignacio says. “I received a great education. That’s what we wanted for our son. But most importantly, they focus on the total man, their characters and virtues.”
Those ideals are shaped, in large part, because of the unmatched mentorship provided by faculty at The Heights.
“The caliber of guys that graduate from The Heights, they are strong men with moral fiber,” Caroline said. “It’s nice to have this school turning out men of solid character and faith.”
It was that dedication to shaping the whole man that drove the Lullis’ decision to make a planned gift for The Heights, naming the school as a beneficiary of a percentage of a retirement account.
“We think education is the way to make the world a better place,” Caroline said. “We want to make sure as many kids as possible are getting a good education, not just in academics but in character.”
They hope others will see the value in The Heights and consider a similar donation.
“We were very fortunate to send our son to The Heights and we want that education available for other kids,” she said.
It was that dedication to shaping the whole man that drove the Lullis’ decision to make a planned gift for The Heights, naming the school as a beneficiary of a percentage of a retirement account.
“We think education is the way to make the world a better place,” Caroline said. “We want to make sure as many kids as possible are getting a good education, not just in academics but in character.”
They hope others will see the value in The Heights and consider a similar donation.
“We were very fortunate to send our son to The Heights and we want that education available for other kids,” she said.
Gifts of Time, Talent and Treasure
Michael Maibach was first introduced to The Heights School by his friends Tom and Amy Spence. Many of his other friends have also enrolled their sons at the school over the years.
Maibach, a professional in global business diplomacy and civic engagement who currently serves as managing director at the James Wilson Institute, has firsthand experience with The Heights School, too. He’s given speeches to students and hopes to present more talks focusing on the Constitution and his business experiences.
The latter is certainly something students could benefit from. In 1983, the founders of the Intel Corporation hired Maibach to create its government affairs department. Then, in 2003, Maibach took the European-American Business Council out of bankruptcy.
A believer in lifelong education, Maibach has earned seven degrees from various institutions. His commitment to continuous learning results in a desire to give back to organizations like The Heights School.
“The Heights is a model for all American high schools,” he said. “Men teaching boys how to become fine Christian men. The school is orderly, full of engagement across all grades and has first-rate teachers.”
In 2021, Maibach donated five original oil paintings to the school, including one depicting the Monitor and Merrimac naval battle. He’s also given back financially.
Ultimately, Maibach’s gifts of time, talent and treasure are an end product of his conviction that “improving one young life can improve countless other lives.”