GIFT OF LIFE INSURANCE POLICY PROVIDES FOR FUTURE VETERANS

Service to others has been at the forefront of David Sokol's life. A West Point graduate with a Bachelor of Science in general engineering, he served as an Army captain during Desert Shield and Desert Storm and was awarded a Bronze Star.

He later returned to school and earned his MBA from Oakland University, graduating in 2000. A human resources and benefit professional, David started volunteering his time speaking with human resources students early on. In 2006 he joined the advisory board for OU's School of Education and Human Services.

President and owner of Wilshire Benefits Group, Sokol was named 2018 Adviser of the Year by Employee Benefits Adviser magazine. Wilshire Benefits Group is one of the largest privately held employee benefit consulting firms in Michigan and qualifies as a Service Disabled Veteran owned business. Prior to owning Wilshire Benefits Group, Sokol was a large group market practice leader for Humana. He also served as regional vice president of human resources and client services for ADP TotalSource.

As Sokol journeyed throughout his career, he continued to be a generous supporter of the University both personally and through the companies he worked for. He has raised money for the William Beaumont School of Medicine and participated in fundraisers through OU's School of Education and Human Services. He also joined the OU Vision Society, naming OU in his estate through his trust.

Sokol recently expanded his gifts to the University by increasing his bequest and making OU the owner and beneficiary of a permanent life insurance policy. The Northwestern Mutual-Troy office, with whom Sokol is affiliated, is also run by a military veteran who supports Oakland University student-veteran programs.

"Life insurance is a terrific way to leverage gift dollars to make an even greater impact in the future. Donors who give partially paid permanent life insurance policies receive a current income tax deduction for the fair-market value of the policy," said Colette O'Connor, senior director of planned giving. "They can continue making tax-deductible premium payments to the University until the policy is fully paid up. It's a very thoughtful way to build a legacy and support future generations."

"OU has a special place in my heart, so I'm happy to help," said Sokol, who has earmarked his insurance policy gift for the establishment of an endowed scholarship for military members and veterans.

"Through my involvement with OU, I learned there are some veteran-student programs and students who are currently serving in the military. I want to encourage others to serve in the military, get educated, do well, and better themselves. It's designed to help others who are helping us," added Sokol.

"Many of us through the course of our lives want to donate and create impact in the community around us, but life and bills get in the way. It's easy to allocate and designate a gift in your estate planning, in a will or a trust, to institutions that made an impact on your life. My MBA from Oakland has helped me become successful in my career. Tuition dollars from current students are not enough to make this university continue to be great, so philanthropy is very important. The value of the relationships I built at OU have been very valuable to me, so I want to thank the University. That's really what this gift is all about."