St. Luke’s: Worthy of Our Charitable Support

Since starting his urology practice in 1974, Charles Saunders, MD, held many roles over his esteemed 30-year career at St. Luke’s. From Chief of Urology, Vice President of Medical Affairs, Vice President of Academic Affairs and President of the Medical Staff to serving two terms on the Board of Trustees before retiring in 2007, Dr. Saunders is widely respected by his peers and his patients. Since retiring, Dr. Saunders continues to serve on the St. Luke’s University Health Network Board of Trustees.

An early proponent of St. Luke’s creating a medical school, Dr. Saunders recognized the many benefits of establishing Temple/St. Luke’s School of Medicine. “The medical school has been near and dear to me for a long time,” shares Dr. Saunders. The addition of St. Luke’s School of Medicine is helping combat the nationwide shortage of doctors and increasing the ability to recruit and keep doctors in the Lehigh Valley—all leading to a healthier community.

“A healthier community is good for everyone … kids learn better, workers are more productive and good healthcare leads to a good economy.” Dr. Saunders adds, “Students rounding with attending physicians, asking questions, reading current literature and challenging their peers results in better care for patients.”

In recognition of his unwavering support of the medical school and acknowledgement of his long career as a respected and compassionate physician, St. Luke’s School of Medicine honored Dr. Saunders by naming the Saunders Doctoring College after him.

Although the Saunders family had already established an endowment for St. Luke’s School of Medicine, Dr. Saunders decided to make an additional contribution this year. For the first time, the IRS allows individuals age of 70½ or older to fund a charitable gift annuity by making a one-time election of up to $50,000 (without being taxed on the distribution) from their IRA during a single calendar year. Dr. Saunders and his wife, Sheila, both took advantage of this opportunity and encourages anyone with a traditional IRA to consider making a gift that will pay them lifetime payments, while supporting St. Luke’s.

According to Dr. Saunders, “St. Luke’s School of Medicine is more than an asset to St. Luke’s—it’s an asset for our entire community and worthy of our charitable gifts. This new IRA regulation makes it even easier to support its future.”