Do you understand how to be satisfied?

“If there’s one thing I want to pass on to my family, my employees, and my friends, it’s how to be satisfied. Be satisfied with your spouse, your kids, your job, where you live. Then you can give back.”

That’s how Leonard Corso describes his life. Those simple words guide the philanthropic spirit that radiates from him and the words he uses to remember his wife Marjorie, “a spectacular lady.”

Mr. Corso gives back to his family, his friends and his community in Fort Salonga, New York. His sons, Glenn and Robert, who help run the family business, and daughter Janice support their father in his desire to make a difference.  

He has given back significantly to Joslin Diabetes Center by making gifts in exchange for lifetime payments—charitable gift annuities. When asked why he chose Joslin, Mr. Corso explains that Joslin Diabetes Center is on “the leading edge of research to find answers to prevent and cure diabetes. Most importantly, it shares its wealth of knowledge.”

Mr. Corso and his late wife knew what it meant to share knowledge. He invented a device and started a manufacturing plant that led to the first angiogram. When offered the patent and its royalties for his invention in 1958, he and his wife declined them. It was more important to share this diagnostic tool. Now used in hospitals around the world, this technology has given the gift of life to countless children and adults.

Through Joslin’s charitable gift annuities Mr. Corso has been able to make a gift and get back an income for life. He donated cash to Joslin Diabetes Center in exchange for fixed lifetime payments based on his age. More than half of his annuity payments are tax-free. He also received a significant income tax deduction. After his lifetime, the proceeds from his gifts will support Joslin’s research to help prevent and cure diabetes.      

Mr. Corso, like many Joslin friends, is more than satisfied with his Joslin gift annuities. In fact, he has been so satisfied that he established four of them, including three in 2003. Through Mr. and Mrs. Corso's ethic of sharing, these gifts are helping to conquer diabetes.

To learn more about charitable gift annuities, please click here.