Giving Through Wills or Trusts

By Paul Brockwell

When Beth Thomas Toscano reminisces about her years at the VCU School of Pharmacy, she recalls how close her class was and how they’d often eat their packed lunches on the steps of the Virginia State Capitol with legendary faculty like Eugene V. White, who revolutionized how community pharmacy was practiced and won the profession’s highest honor – the Remington Medal. 

Toscano said high-ranking faculty like White were down-to-earth and more akin to family. 

“He was like everybody’s dad,” she said. “You knew he was super intelligent, but he didn’t need to impress upon you that he was more trained than everybody else. He was just on your level, very approachable. If you ever needed anybody to talk to, he was there.”

That sense of belonging was key to the person and the pharmacist Toscano became. After graduating in 1983, she began a fulfilling career in community pharmacies, where she relished knowing every customer and the names of their pets. She retired in March 2021 after almost 40 years. 

When her father passed away in 2025, Toscano served as executor of his estate and saw firsthand how a will or trust can be used to direct assets to causes that matter most as a way to have a significant impact. It was something she had not considered previously. She knew she had always wanted to support the School of Pharmacy, but also wanted to ensure she had the means to live and support her family. 

I'm sure there are other people out there who are unaware that you can put these sorts of assets into a trust or a will. And it’s easy – you just set it up once and it’s done.

Beth Thomas Toscano, VCU School of Pharmacy Class of 1983

Learning from that process inspired her to update her own estate plans and to include a gift to the School of Pharmacy that will provide support for the Class of 1977 Reinders Scholarship fund, which supports students with demonstrated financial need. She also plans to support research efforts with future gifts.

“I’ve always felt that the students who want to do something, and can’t because they don’t have the financial means, are the ones who will get the most out of the program if they’re helped,” Toscano said.

For Toscano, making a gift through her trust solved the problem many donors face: how to give meaningful support to causes they care about without giving up the financial security they need later in life.

“It's a good way to give a significant amount of money and not have to worry about whether I'm going to run out of money,” she said. 

The process, she said, was far simpler than she expected.

“I wasn’t even aware that you could do this until my father passed away,” Toscano said. “I'm sure there are other people out there who are unaware that you can put these sorts of assets into a trust or a will. And it’s easy – you just set it up once and it’s done.”

Her advice to fellow alumni considering a similar gift is direct: “Do it. It’s easy. When you are updating your will, it’s a really good time to do it.”

Toscano hopes her gift will do what her own pharmacy education did for her: open a door for someone who might not otherwise be able to walk through it.

If you would like to learn more about how to support the MCV Campus through a planned gift, please contact Jason Chestnutt, CFP®, executive director of planned giving for the MCV Campus, at 804-828-1671 or chestnuttjr@vcu.edu.