The decision to join the Holy Names Legacy Society was easy. Making a planned gift is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time because the Academy blessed me with many gifts that have had a profound impact on my life. While I may not be financially wealthy, I am rich in the things that matter most. Because of the Academy, the Sisters, teachers and the sacrifices of my parents, I received an excellent academic education, including education in the arts and in my faith, and I developed a strong moral compass. However, as I progress through life, I realize that the most important thing the Academy gave me is that of my friends.

Fortunately for me, many of these friends are still a major part of my life. For those that I do not see as frequently as I would like, I know that we are still there for each other when it really counts. They are my real and loyal friends and I treasure each one of them. I cannot imagine life without them to share it. I am blessed and I credit the Academy and the powerful influence of the Sisters of the Holy Names, for they are the true heroes of my story.

As far as making a charitable gift, I really did not have to give a lot of thought to it. It was something that I have always felt strongly about doing, but like many people, I never thought I was in a financial position to do so. Then several years ago, I was employed by a very prominent non-profit organization working in its planned giving department. Through my professional experience, I realized that there are many different ways to give a substantial gift other than writing out a check. There are ways that do not negatively impact your current financial resources which allow individuals to make meaningful gifts through wills, trusts, annuities and life insurance, etc. These vehicles allow you to make a more substantial gift than you may realize is possible.

At that time, I decided that I, too, could make a planned gift. I left a percentage of my company life insurance policy to the Academy naming it as a partial beneficiary. Since that time, I have changed employers and changed my gift to reflect the change in employment. The Academy is still the beneficiary of my life insurance benefit and at the same percentage, however, that percentage now represents a larger sum of money. By doing this, I am able to make a dramatically larger gift than I could have imagined possible.

My hope is that others who may read this will realize that they too can do something wonderful for AHN and the mission of the Sisters of the Holy Names in appreciation for the many blessings the Academy has given each of us. I know that my life is richer for having had the Holy Names experience, and I feel privileged for being given the opportunity to make a difference for future students.

I graduated from AHN in May 1955 after attending for 12 years, and I had the honor of being inducted into the National Honor Society and the Sodality. The earliest extracurricular activity I remember was selling raffle tickets to raise funds to build a swimming pool; I finally saw that pool at our 35th class reunion. The old auditorium was on the ground floor of the original building to the north of the grand staircase. Several times a year, we had assemblies there. We had to wear white skirts, and the more accomplished music students would play the piano for us. Back then, the chapel was on the second floor across from the grand stairway. There was a holy water font outside my door, and whenever we passed by, we would dip our fingers and bless ourselves. During my last few years, the school really grew. A new auditorium, cafeteria and a chapel were constructed.

Our class was among the earliest to graduate in that auditorium. Of course, we held dances there, and since there were no male students at AHN, we "imported" some from Saint Leo College Prep School, an all-boys school. Some of us Academy girls would attend their dances as well. It was because of those dances that I met Eddie Herrmann, who later became my husband. Eddie and I were married on October 19, 1955—just five months after my graduation. We were chided that it would never last because we were so young; however, we have been married for more than 50 years and are proud to share that we have three sons, two daughters, four grandsons and four granddaughters.

My 12 years at AHN were wonderful and I received more than just the three Rs at the Academy. The Sisters made it all possible, as they were wonderful, caring teachers who made my education extra special. That's why, when Eddie and I recently revised our estate plans, we thought to include the Academy of the Holy Names as well as Eddie's alma mater. I remember receiving tuition assistance to attend AHN, so I decided that a bequest to the school would be a way for me to "pay it forward" for future AHN students. Our trust attorney was easy to work with, and we informed our children about our decision to remember our schools in our wills.

The next best thing to being a student at AHN is to be a teacher! How blessed I was to teach under principals Sisters Elinor Sevigny, Constance Casey, Alice Veronica Cummings and Anne Celine Turner—all incredibly gifted educators, superb mentors and caring friends.

From directly participating in Academy life, my respect and admiration for AHN, its Sisters, students, parents and fellow teachers grew and deepened. All of us taught each other. Over the years, I followed the school’s growth and changes as a Foundation member and later as the chair of the Board of Trustees. The comprehensive master plan, handsome expansion and superb educational programs all looked forward while respecting the Academy’s lasting mission, spiritual foundations and longstanding traditions.

When I considered the Sisters’ many years in Tampa and their extraordinary contributions, institutions and spiritual values in a rapidly changing world, I wanted to help this unique legacy continue. Deciding to leave a legacy gift in my will was a heartfelt and joyful decision. In fact, when updating my long-ignored, even forgotten will, I discovered that I had made the same decision more than 30 years before—to name the Academy of the Holy Names as a recipient of a charitable bequest. How reassuring to validate my bequest, if not my memory, so many years later!

Even after years of completing my own projects in Haiti and Washington, D.C., I still feel the charism of the Sisters and AHN. Reading about student mission trips and their service projects today in West Virginia, Mississippi, Ruskin and the Dominican Republic, I sense the same vibrant outreach and charism. The AHN experience prepared me as well as the current and former students for lives of integrity and service—truly fulfilling its motto of Esse Quam Videri: “To be rather than to seem.” Thank you, AHN.

Kay Culbreath Heller taught English at the Boys Academy beginning in 1969. She later taught English, world history and humanities in the high school. Kay has taught at the Haitian American Institute and worked at the Hôpital Bon Samaritain in Limbe, Haiti. She still provides assistance by importing and selling Haitian arts and crafts to benefit schools, hospitals and orphanages in Haiti, as well as reforestation projects and earthquake relief. Kay is married to Rod Heller and they spend time between Washington, D.C., and Franklin, Tennessee. She also visits family and friends in Tampa frequently. Kay’s commitment to the Holy Names Legacy Society will one day allow her longstanding generosity of AHN’s Endowment to continue beyond her lifetime.

I am one of those fortunate people who received an AHN education. After 12 years at the Academy, I felt eager and well-prepared for the next stage of my life. The knowledge, faith, self-confidence and friendships I gained within the Academy's walls have served me well, both in good times and in bad; and for that, I am forever grateful.

When I learned that AHN established the Holy Names Legacy Society to encourage donors to leave a bequest or legacy gift, I felt this was the perfect opportunity to show my gratitude for all I had received from this school. It was very easy for me to name AHN as a beneficiary of my life insurance policy—as simple as signing a couple of papers. I now have a sense of satisfaction knowing that “passing on” has an even better meaning—that I will be passing on to future generations the chance to receive the same blessings of a Holy Names education that I did, and to continue the charism of Blessed Marie Rose and the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.

I write this with the hope that others will feel inspired to also include a special gift for AHN in their estate plan—and truly make a meaningful difference in the lives of future Academy students.

I suppose I always felt a bit special and privileged as a student at the Academy of the Holy Names, but not until recent years have I come to realize the degree to which that experience would influence my entire life.

Academics were always paramount in our lives, and the Sisters of the Holy Names made it very clear that nothing less than our very best efforts would be acceptable. Their dedication as teachers in the classroom and as a resource for guidance as we grew into womanhood had no limits; they were always there for us.

While my class work prepared me to continue my studies at Northwestern University, as well as my classmates for other colleges and universities, the more important measure of the value of our education at AHN was, and continues to be, the religious experience. Of course we took religion classes, but we also had prayer, Chapel, retreats and wonderful movies to watch about the life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. (We were instructed to write “JMJ” in the header of every paper that was turned in for a class assignment.) This Catholic foundation has proved to be the strength and joy of my life through all the challenges and changes that I have encountered since graduation.

So today, more than ever, I feel very blessed, proud and privileged to be an Academy alum. I welcome the opportunity to support the school in its efforts to continue this academic and spiritual legacy through a bequest gift. I simply asked my trust attorney to include the Academy in my estate plans, and I feel good knowing that my beloved alma mater will one day receive a special gift to help future students receive a Holy Names education.

Seeing my daughter Tori arrive at AHN as a girl and four years later leave as a well-rounded young woman was a dream come true. In fact, I wish I had another daughter to send to the Academy! So I asked myself: Why not include the Academy in my estate plans so that a future gift may help shape another young girl into that well-rounded woman like Tori? It was the easiest, no-brainer decision I have ever made. I am very fortunate to be a good place in life. I was recently making some changes to my estate plans, and this was coincidentally about the same time I received a letter from the Academy asking me to consider leaving a legacy gift in my estate plans. God has a weird way of saying “Hey, what do you think? Go ahead, listen to me!” And so I did. I simply asked my insurance broker to add the Academy of the Holy Names as a beneficiary of my life insurance policy. My children, Tori and Trey, and my wife Mary Kay are thrilled that I took measures to provide a special legacy gift benefiting the Academy one day in the future. I like to lead by example, and my kids have learned the importance of giving back—especially to something that we cherish. Sending my daughter to AHN was one of the best things Mary Kay and I have ever done, and I hope to one day have a granddaughter attend the Academy of the Holy Names!