By Dana R. Taylor,Director of Planned Giving

I recently had the joy of attending the 193rd MUSC Commencement ceremony, where I had the honor of watching two family members graduate from this great institution. One with a Ph.D. and the other with an M.D. degree. My family is incredibly proud of their accomplishments and have full confidence each will serve in the health care community with integrity and compassion. 

During the ceremony, I reflected on the fact that over the years so many generous donors have come alongside our students on their journey to health care careers through scholarship and fellowship support. Many of our students simply would not have had this opportunity if not for donors who selflessly supported their education. 

Julia and Delaine Robbins are among these amazing people who have a vision of generosity and have acted upon this vision. The Robbins recently established the Delaine and Julia Robbins Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide support for student scholarships and fellowships for students in the MUSC College of Medicine.

Julia and Delaine live their lives with the underlying motivation to make a difference in the lives of those around them. The Robbins, like most of us, cherish good health and believe that good health can lead to happiness. Their generosity is motivated by the fact that our health care professionals, especially our physicians, are a key factor, not only in maintaining our health, but in providing the best care possible. Through their generosity, the Robbins hope to help meet the growing demand for physicians and increase access to health care.

I had the pleasure of visiting with the Robbins in their home not so long ago. To call their hospitality warm would be an understatement: While listening to their life story, my colleague and I enjoyed an amazing homemade coconut cake that Julia lovingly prepared. Both Julia and Delaine live by an ethic of hard work, compassion and determination. We are ever grateful to Julia and Delaine for their investment and thoughtful generosity.

The Robbins’ recent gift is not their first experience with giving generous support to MUSC. In 2015, Julia and Delaine established a transformational gift to MUSC through a bequest and beneficiary designations in their estate plan. Their planning today will ensure that future generations of medical students at MUSC have the opportunity to become physicians who will serve South Carolina and beyond.

The Robbins’ generosity encompasses giving during their lifetime and through their will. Your will or living trust is a lasting statement of what was important to you during your lifetime. Where you direct your lifetime of earnings and savings says a great deal about you – who and what you held dear, what touched you and enriched your life and what you want to ensure for the next generation. Like the Robbins, you may also recognize MUSC’s commitment to changing what’s possible by providing the highest quality health care, scientific research and medical education. We ask you to consider joining in our mission by making a charitable gift through your will or trust to support the Medical University of South Carolina.

We are so grateful that our friendship with the Robbins remains strong and that their continued generosity and dedication characterizes their confidence in the excellent education, research and patient care MUSC provides statewide!