Eric and Jeannie Nadel established their donor-advised fund, the Eric and Jeannie Nadel Charitable Fund, in April 2020. They have also included CFT and their fund in their estate plans.
From a young age, Eric was taught the joy of giving. Eric recalls witnessing his mom volunteering to support mental health causes, and his father, who was a dentist, would drive to his office at any hour of the night or on weekends to help patients who had an emergency. Both he and Jeannie were taught to use their platforms for good however they could, and they’ve lived by that creed their entire lives.
Eric has spent more than 43 years serving as the legendary voice of the Texas Rangers. He won the Ford C. Frick Award for Broadcasting Excellence from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. “I’m so proud of the Texas Rangers. I feel grateful every time I walk into a game and still can’t believe I’m getting paid to watch a game and bring joy to people’s lives through broadcasting,” said Eric.
Jeannie is a retired special education teacher and spent more than 20 years as a phone counselor for a crisis hotline. Both Eric and Jeannie think it’s important to promote mental health awareness and erase the stigma surrounding it. Eric and Jeannie have been very involved with numerous nonprofits over the years, many of them focused on mental health, animals, food insecurity, and inspiring youth. Some of these nonprofits include Café Momentum, where he’s put on a concert series, the Elizabeth Jordan Harris Foundation, and numerous animal-focused nonprofits. Eric, a music lover, also hosts his annual birthday benefit at the Kessler Theater, where all proceeds go to support the Grant Halliburton Foundation.
The couple was first introduced to CFT through their support of The Dallas Morning News Charities campaign, which is administered in part by CFT. Eric had also been part of the grant application process on the nonprofit side, supporting causes important to him, including establishing one of the first off-leash dog parks in the area. “Eventually, my tax advisor encouraged us to establish a fund to keep track of our giving and to better manage the tax receipts,” recalls Eric.“I remember watching my mom sit down at the table each December, writing out checks to nonprofits, and here we were, finding ourselves doing the same so many decades later. It’s much easier now to give online through our donor-advised fund at CFT. I only wish we had done it sooner. CFT has so many resources available to us, and it’s extremely convenient,” said Eric.
Eric and Jeannie put money into their charitable fund at the beginning of the year, and Eric says he feels like Santa Claus over the following 12 months distributing money they’ve put into their fund. “Once the money is in there, it’s already been designated to give away, and it’s been gratifying determining which organizations to make grants to. Our fund has allowed us to focus a bit more, be more conscious, and we’re no longer waiting until December to make gifts,” he says.
“I encourage everyone to think seriously about their expendable income and where it goes and how much they can afford to help others, and to look into opening a charitable fund,” said Eric. “People are hurting. They need food and jobs, and we’ve utilized our fund in support of a number of food banks during the pandemic. I really believe that it doesn’t take a whole lot to make somebody’s life a whole lot better.”
Eric and Jeannie also appreciate the convenience their fund provides in updating the charitable portion of their estate plans, as their priorities and favorite nonprofits may change over the years. “Instead of redoing our will each time our priorities change, we can simply update our plan with CFT and we’re fully confident that CFT will support the charities we chose long beyond our lifetime,” said Eric.
Eric and Jeannie center their life around gratitude and generosity. Jeannie can often be found saying, “Be the light of the world,” and reminding others to live each day doing what you can do to make a difference. Eric would add a few phrases to that: “Work hard, be kind, lead by example, and have fun while doing it.”
