Marilyn and Harold "Hal" Kren

Marilyn Kren will never forget the poppies blooming on a canvas at Community Hospital. The prominent Ferdinand Bergdorf painting was, for quite some time, the pathfinder that directed her to her husband Hal's hospital room.

"My husband's hospitalization was a wonderful experience, if you can say a near-death is wonderful," says Marilyn. "The care he got was, at first, on an emergency basis. You arrive at the Emergency department, who knows what's the matter, and it's all frightening. But you're at Community Hospital, so you know you're in good hands. The care Hal received was always exceptional." The Krens, who have been married 38 years, recently established a charitable gift annuity on behalf of Community Hospital.

"At this stage in life," says Hal, "we looked at a number of charitable gift annuities, which were all, if not identical, then very much the same. It's not about who's going to give you the best deal; it comes down to how you feel about the particular charity you're zeroing in on. Community Hospital is subjectively closer to both of us than any particular other charity. I've been up there, and they got me through something, but that wasn't it. It's the aura they have, and the feeling we have for the hospital. All who work there are the kind of people who seem to care about other people, and we're the other people. Giving to Community Hospital creates the opportunity to participate in a win-win situation. That's what we wanted to do."