Supporter Stories

Doreen Chadbourne: In Giving, You Shall Receive

“I have lived a charmed life and helping others through charitable gift annuities makes me feel blessed,” said Luce Policy Institute supporter, Doreen Chadbourne. And she should understand the importance of giving as she generously supports 23 different organizations through charitable gift annuities. Her life story is filled with blessings because of her heart of gratitude.

Born in Canada, Doreen moved to the United States with her mother and brother when she was three. Doreen was a young child during the Great Depression and remembers that one evening, a man from a national charity came to her family’s door asking for a collection to give to the poor. Although her mother did not have any money to give the man, she did welcome him into their home to talk and rest. The kind gentleman allowed little Doreen, an outgoing child, to crawl up on his lap. When Doreen’s mother put her to bed that evening, she found that their unexpected guest had placed $2 in Doreen’s pocket, which fed her family for the next three days. This small act of kindness during a time of such difficult hardships continues to impact Doreen’s generosity today.

A true conservative woman with a hard working ethic, Doreen started her first job at 18 years of age working for Western Union earning $0.39 an hour. She quickly rose to a supervising level managing 150 housewives who personally delivered telegrams to military families.

Then in 1943, Doreen felt it was time to volunteer for her country of which she was proud to be a part. She volunteered for the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) in preparation for service in World War II. This is when she first learned that she did not have citizenship like her mother since she had been born in Canada and therefore was not eligible to enlist in the WACs. This disappointment, however, did not stop Doreen from serving in the war. She promptly obeyed the law and returned to Canada where she joined the Royal Air Force as a radar operator and served from 1944 until the war was over. During her service she encountered several dangerous situation, but fortunately she was spared any injury.

When Doreen returned to the States, she rejoined Western Union and worked her way back up through the ranks, but Doreen was up for the challenge. She also enrolled in night school to prepare for her citizenship examination. She passed with flying colors.

Doreen fell in love with her husband Bill after a 10-year courtship and they were married in 1953. They had 42 wonderful years together raising a son and expanding his equipment leasing business. Sadly, Bill tragically died in an automobile accident in 1994. Doreen says she gives out of inspiration for the generous way her late husband lived his life.

In January 2007, Doreen began a generous charitable gift annuity with the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute. When asked why she contributes to so many causes and through charitable gift annuities, she answered, “ I think gift annuities are a blessing—you have income for life and you save on taxes and are able to make an investment in people.”

On behalf of the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute and the young women we serve, we want to thank Doreen Chadbourne for her unwavering commitment to traditional, American values.

To learn more about Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute’s Annuity Program and other planned giving options, please contact Michelle Easton at 1-800-891-4288 or measton@cblpi.org.

“There never was a person who did anything worth doing who did not receive more than he gave.”—Henry Ward Beecher