A lifetime of mugs turns into a legacy gift

After attending a Foundations of Sharp HealthCare Legacy Giving event, Stanley Papel channeled not only his generosity, but also the business savvy that helped him and his father sell more than 300 million mugs via their giftware company over the past 70 years.

Stanley established a charitable gift annuity with Sharp in support of ENVISION: Metropolitan Modernization, which in turn provides him with tax benefits and a steady, fixed income for life.

“It’s a win-win-win,” says Stanley. “Sharp is a wonderful health care organization. Financially, if you’re retired, the charitable gift annuity offers a good form of secure income for the rest of your life. And you’re doing something good for other people at the same time.”

How Stanley’s legacy gift works

Stanley donated shares of highly appreciated stock to support the expansion of facilities, nationally recognized clinical programs and innovative technology at Sharp’s Metropolitan Medical Campus.

“I feel so appreciative to Sharp,” he says. “My doctors have been so wonderful and have truly helped me, so it’s my way of paying it back.”

Stanley’s gift also provides him with several tax benefits. Had Stanley sold his appreciated stock, he would have paid tens of thousands of dollars in capital gains tax.

By turning it into a charitable gift annuity, not only will he get to see his donation in action, but he’ll also receive an 8.5% income stream for the rest of his life as well as charitable income tax deductions for the charitable gift portion of the annuity.

“It turned out to be a situation where I’m helping Sharp and, in turn, getting a good rate of return on my investment,” Stanley says. “I’ve always tried to invest wisely, dividing what is conservative and what I call my security money.”

Making his dad proud

Stanley’s dad, Phil, started a giftware company on Main Street at Disneyland when it opened in 1955 and expanded to The Queen Mary in Long Beach soon after. “We were decorating mugs 24 hours a day,” says Stanley. “We couldn’t make them fast enough.”

PAPEL Collectible Mugs would add people’s first names to the design to turn an ordinary mug into a custom souvenir. They also experimented with their “World’s Greatest” series, including phrases like “World’s Greatest Mom” and “World’s Greatest Boss.” Over seven decades, they sold hundreds of millions of mugs.

“We marketed ourselves for a while as a greeting card with a handle,” Stanley says.

Stanley not only admired his dad’s business acumen, but also his generosity — notably, how Phil would set up scholarships for his employees. “He cared about people and was a really good person,” Stanley says.

Gifts of appreciation

Stanley moved to San Diego during the pandemic, and when he started to have health problems, he went to Sharp. He made Guardian Angel gifts to his primary care physician, dermatologist, cardiologist, gastroenterologist and urologist. “I wanted to do something out of appreciation,” Stanley says.

From increasing hospital capacity to ensuring access to those who need it most, Stanley wants his legacy gift to benefit future generations so they can experience the same quality care he received.

“I feel so appreciative to Sharp,” Stanley says. “I know Sharp is doing some exciting things, all to help other people. This is my way of paying it forward.”

Learn more about making a legacy gift to Sharp by emailing linda.spuck@sharp.com; support ENVISION: The Campaign for Sharp HealthCare; get the latest health and wellness news, trends and patient stories from Sharp Health News; and subscribe to our weekly newsletter by clicking the "Sign up" link below.