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All in the Family. 

When John Jr. and Helen Green (pictured in the left frame) made their first gift to The University of Texas at El Paso, they had two goals in mind. One, they wanted to be sure that they were helping students get an excellent education. And two, they wanted to set an example for students so that one day, they, too, can make a difference for others.

“Students who receive scholarships are given an opportunity, and they should work hard to see their education through,” said John. “Once they graduate and are working, they have a responsibility to give back to their community.” 

Giving to others, and in this case, to UTEP, is something of a Green Family tradition. It all began with John’s father and mother, John (Sr.) and Mary Green (center frame), who established their first endowment at UTEP in 2000. The older couple expressed so much joy in watching students benefit from their gifts that they inspired John and Helen to give as well. Not long after, John’s (Jr.) brother Richard “Rich” and his wife, Clara “Tiggy,” (right frame) followed suit. 

To date, the Green family has established seven different endowments to support students, with three bearing the names John (Jr.) and Helen Green. And John and Helen didn’t stop there.

The retired couple took their giving a step further, recently establishing a charitable gift annuity through UTEP. A gift annuity is part investment and part gift. And, it offered the Greens a creative way to both help students and secure their own financial stability with a fixed income that is generated off the interest earned on the gift.

Today, even though the Greens live elsewhere in the country, the University and El Paso remain near and dear to their hearts.

“El Paso had been our home for years and years, and it was very good to us,” John Jr. said. “Our jobs were there, and we really enjoyed living in El Paso.”

“What always impressed us about UTEP is that students had so little debt compared to other schools,” said Helen. “UTEP itself is so impressive. And students from both El Paso and Juarez can get a great education and experience unique opportunities on that truly beautiful campus.”

“We hope that students who receive our scholarships are inspired to pay it forward,” she added. “It’s good to give however you can, but it is really great to be able to watch your gift grow and to see the impact you can have on others.”

To learn more about how you can establish a charitable gift annuity through UTEP, call the Office of Institutional Advancement at 915-747-8533 or email us at plannedgifts@utep.edu.

Student-1

Lessons from History

Meet Dick and Elsie

Student-2

Paying It Forward

Meet Martha

Student-3

Mutual Respect

Meet Leslie

Student-3

Honoring Mom

Meet Edgar