John Draper

Supporting the future of hospice through planned gifts

April 2021

Longtime San Mateo resident John Draper has decades of experience in leadership and fundraising for our community. 

In the ‘90s, as Spanish teacher and Director of Admissions at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, John’s interest in philanthropy was sparked when he took the San Mateo – Foster City – Burlingame – Hillsborough Leadership Program. Since then, he’s worked to raise funds and engage others for a range of causes.

In addition to his volunteer work fundraising for Peninsula Bridge, and later as President of the San Mateo Library Foundation, he worked in development at Crystal Springs, where he focused on alumni giving and planned gifts.

“A planned gift is simply a gift you leave in your estate, typically in your will,” John explains. “It might be cash, property, or stocks – it doesn’t matter, and there is no minimum. Each gift matters.”

While John is a longtime donor to Mission Hospice, he had no personal experience with hospice care. But when his friend (and Mission Hospice board member) Dr. Steve Weller asked him to consider serving on the board, he was intrigued. After a tour of Mission House, John was sold.

“As I approach my 80s,” John says, “I realize that palliative care, end-of-life care, is terribly important. This is the kind of care everyone in our community deserves.”

John quickly jumped in to support our work. Soon after joining the Mission Hospice board last July, he joined the Development Committee, and right away he amended his will to include Mission Hospice as a beneficiary.

“John has already led by example, and is now encouraging others to include the organization in their estate planning,” says Steve, who is a fellow Legacy Society member, along with his wife Nancy. “A planned gift is one of the greatest ways to support the future of Mission Hospice.”

“Mission Hospice provides a wonderful end-of-life experience,” John says, “and I’m pleased to make this important gift to ensure that this care can continue for many years to come.”