When Victor Schmidt decided to relocate from the country to the city nine years ago, the one place that really resonated with him was Bethlehem’s RiverPort Condominiums, conveniently located to the city’s thriving historic district and developing SouthSide arts district.
Although he was looking for a new home close to a variety of amenities and attractions, what he really found was a ‘community,’ one that was all embracing and working tirelessly to bring people from all walks of life together through music and art. At the forefront of this movement was ArtsQuest, the nonprofit that presented Musikfest and was talking about opening a new music venue called the Levitt Pavilion.
When the Levitt opened, Schmidt quickly fell in love with the venue and its mission. In 2011, he joined the Friends of the Levitt Board and was amazed to discover that nearly 80 percent of the Levitt’s funding is raised locally. Although the concerts are ‘free’ to attend, each and every artist is paid, which means contributions from individual and corporate donations play a huge role in funding the venue.
This year Schmidt took advantage of a new program established by ArtsQuest Foundation to help support ArtsQuest and its programming at Levitt Pavilion by leaving a legacy gift to the Friends of the Levitt Pavilion via a life insurance policy. He says the decision was an easy one, since he believes so strongly in the ArtsQuest mission.
“I originally didn’t really know that much about the Levitt, but the more I learned, the more I said, ‘What’s not to like?’ Last year we had over 80,000 people come down to the lawn, and one of the reasons I wanted to leave one of my life insurance policies to the ArtsQuest Foundation is that I believe in giving back to the community.
“There are nights that I sit there, the blast furnaces are lit up and there are 4,000 people on the lawn. There’s so much energy here that I have to pinch myself and think, ‘Am I really in Bethlehem, PA?’ It’s that hard to believe.”
For anyone considering leaving a life insurance policy to the ArtsQuest Foundation, there are three options: naming ArtsQuest as a beneficiary on a policy, making a gift of an existing policy, or making a gift of a new policy. Schmidt is quick to note the process is extremely quick and easy.
“I simply named the ArtsQuest Foundation as a benefactor. You need to do a little bit of paperwork and that’s it,” he says. “I’m hoping that over time the policy grows, and upon my passing there will be a nice little gift that will help continue the Levitt Pavilion for our next generation.”
Want to make a legacy gift to the ArtsQuest Foundation via a life insurance policy? Visit artsquestfoundation.planmylegacy.org or contact Jeffrey A. Parks at 610-297-7300 or jparks@artsquestfoundation.org.
