Giving Back for a Lifetime of Support

Sue and Bob Kurtz joined the Heritage Circle by including Marist School in their estate plan. Their gift not only supports future generations but also shows their children how much Marist means to them.

For Sue and Bob Kurtz ’89, Marist School is truly an extension of their family. They value the mission of Marist to form the whole person in the image of Christ, and Bob credits his Marist experience for the strong educational and spiritual foundation it gave him. Describing what sets Marist apart, Bob says, "It’s the education, the experience, the people, the camaraderie, and the teachers who are there for their entire careers." The couple is excited to witness their youngest two children, Lexi ’23 and AJ ’24, continue the family tradition at Marist.

One of Bob’s earliest memories of Marist was as a nervous seventh-grader on the first day of school when Father Ralph Olek, S.M. stood on his desk in English class. He is thrilled that Father Olek and other longtime Marist teachers are now teaching his children. While at Marist, Bob enjoyed being a member of the football, basketball, and baseball teams, and learning character from Coaches Chadwick, Queen, Franks, Miller, and Murray, to name a few. He appreciated the healthy competitiveness, which encouraged everyone to "be better" by instilling the discipline of hard work. Over the years, Bob has remained connected to Marist through his volunteer service with the Marist Alumni Association and participation in Synaxis, a men’s group focused on faith in today’s world. He plans to stay involved with Marist for the rest of his life.

Sue and Bob are grateful to the Marist School community for the prayers and support they have offered the family during challenging times. Their oldest child, Luke, has Down syndrome and has faced multiple hospitalizations. Sue shares, "Marist has been such a big part of our lives, and when our two children started attending and we had so many things going on with our oldest child, we really felt the support of the community."

For the Kurtz family, that support has come from the Marist priests who have checked on Luke and the family, as well as the prayers offered by the Marist Mothers Prayer Group. Sue adds, "From a philanthropic perspective, it just made sense to our family to try and give to the place that gives us so much."

Longtime contributors to the Annual Fund, the Kurtz family also has supported Marist through the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, among other areas of need.

For them, planned giving was the next step. They recently became members of the Heritage Circle, Marist’s planned giving society, because they felt like it was important to include Marist in their estate plan and demonstrate to their children how much Marist means to them.

As a result of their philanthropy, Sue and Bob are creating a legacy of support and providing opportunities for current and future generations of Marist students to benefit from the distinctive Marist educational experience.