Bobby Ina’s planned gift of his life insurance policy will help bring smiles to kids at Akron Children’s.
For Bobby Ina, there’s nothing like seeing a smile brighten a child’s face.
I truly believe it’s the most innocent thing on the planet,” said Bobby, managing director of Metropolis Consulting LLC.
This simple expression inspired the 37-year-old to create the Robert J. Ina Joyful Smiles Endowment at Akron Children’s with a gift of life insurance. Bobby purchased a new life insurance policy and named the Akron Children’s Foundation as the owner and beneficiary. He pays the annual premiums to our hospital and receives a charitable tax deduction.
At a younger age, Bobby shows it’s possible for anyone to make a difference through a planned gift.
“I’m not a rich or wealthy person,” he said. “I want to make a lasting, generational impact on the charity I support. I can do that by making the commitment to pay for life insurance.”
Learning a spirit of giving
Bobby first learned about helping others from his parents, Mike and Gizelle Ina. They modeled an unselfish spirit of giving for his sister and him. He also was inspired by the 1998 movie “Patch Adams.”
“I always wanted to be in that position to give back and focus on children,” said Bobby. “Teaming up with Akron Children’s is a great fit.”
Bobby Ina, managing director of Metropolis Consulting, had lots of Target gift cards to pass out to his Santa helpers Friday. This is the 5th year for Ina’s annual toy shopping spree for Akron Children’s.
Bobby’s connection with our hospital stems from a holiday toy drive he started in 2014. Each year, his friends, colleagues and clients gather for a shopping spree at Target in Fairlawn to buy Christmas presents for our patients. In 2019, the guest shoppers spent more than $15,000 in donations made to the shopping spree throughout the year.
Making it easy to give
Bobby said that making his planned gift through life insurance was simple, and it’s a giving option that many people may not realize. He first involved his insurance broker. Then team members from the Akron Children’s Foundation worked with the pair on making the gift.
“It costs nothing to find out how much you will pay based on your age, gender and other factors,” said Bobby. “They can run the numbers to figure out how much it’s going to cost. Then you can figure out how much you can afford based on however much you want to contribute each month, whether it’s $50 or $500.”
Regardless of your limit, Bobby emphasized its important to find joy in donating.
“It’s not about the tax return or your name,” he said. “You need to be happy that you did it.”
Create your legacy through life insurance
Take an opportunity to help make a child smile by giving through life insurance. To learn more, contact Maureen Katanic, senior director for planned giving, at 330-543-8343 or mkatanic@akronchildrens.org.
