Viginia Hocksch

Suzanne Schapiro Schless

Remembers Her Causes in Her Legacy: Women, Children, Education, and Animals

Suzanne Schapiro Schless is an advocate for the causes in which she believes. She and her husband Arthur have worked to assure that the causes they care about during their lifetime will be the beneficiary of bequests from their will.

Suzanne attributes her attitude toward community service and philanthropy from the values she received from her parents. In particular her father encouraged her as a child to care about other people, take care of those in need and see their lives as opportunities to make a difference.

She is committed to women’s causes and her will includes organizations like Planned Parenthood of Chester County where she serves as a board member. She grew up on a farm where animals were an important part of her childhood. As an adult she developed a deep interest in therapeutic riding programs where children with disabilities have opportunities to learn to ride horses and experience a new dimension of life.

Suzanne feels a responsibility to encourage others to think about service and philanthropy. She is concerned about today’s emphasis on materialism. She sees a bequest as an important tool for those who care about the world to come. Suzanne believes that if everyone left a part of their will to charities that serve their favorite causes the world would become a better place in which to live.

Most Americans are uncomfortable with thoughts of their own passing, but Suzanne believes that all adults, regardless of their age, should have a will that includes the charities that are important to them.