Who are they:

John Sutton and Colleen Earle have long been driven to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Although that isn’t how they’d describe themselves. Instead they’d modestly say, “it’s important to ‘pay it forward’, we feel so fortunate and recognize that not everyone can say that”.

I came to realize how wise they are, beyond their years (if you define wisdom as; “compassion and pro social attitudes that reflect concern for the common good”) when we were discussing their outrage at the amount their Father was going to pay in income taxes as they were in the process of settling his estate. Taxes that could have been avoided if only his Financial Advisor had discussed philanthropy with him throughout their relationship or at the very least as he was nearing the end of his life.

A conversation, according to John and Colleen, he would have welcomed. They are dismayed when they think about where that money could have gone instead of Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and had a lasting impact as part of his legacy. Instead, a substantial amount of money will end up in CRA coffers rather than going to his favourite charities.

John and Colleen have no intentions of seeing that happen in their lives which is why they have implemented strategies by giving to charities both now and in the future.

In addition to their annual giving to the charities they know and love, they decided to use their ability to magnify their gifts through the use of charitable giving life insurance policies. They put two in place: one for Ronald MacDonald House in Ottawa, and the other to ensure that there is money available for the school where Colleen teaches and where John volunteers to help support the students.

I was thrilled when I asked if they wanted to know how they could magnify their gifts they said: “Absolutely!”

After walking them through an example they were keen to get started and asked; “Why didn’t we know about this? why doesn’t everyone know about this!?”

Colleen and John have been telling people about this amazing tool they are using as part of our philanthropy tool kit because they want to spread the word about how simple, affordable, and rewarding it is to be able to massively amplify their impact on the causes they care about most.

They are a remarkable couple, passing on their values to their three children who I am sure appreciate the difference they intend to make in the world, by ‘paying it forward’.

We wanted to recognize their philanthropic mindset and wonderful gifts they are giving to the people and organizations that matter to them. Compassion is at the core of who they are and experiencing their motivation to uplift all beings is remarkable and awe inspiring.

Thank you John and Colleen.