It's a time to get reacquainted with classmates, to laugh and reminisce, to share old times and new. In the next few months, you will be contacted by your classmates who are on the reunion committee. They'll be asking that you mark May 31-June 3, 2007 on your calendar to return to Baltimore and celebrate your achievements and your success at the Biennial Meeting of the Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical Association.

And what would a reunion be without a rousing class fund raising campaign to acknowledge the value of a Johns Hopkins medical education? This reunion might be an opportune time for you to make a special gift in support of Johns Hopkins Medicine. It may be easier to make a gift than you think, and through careful planning, you may even be able to achieve objectives that you thought to be out of reach, even though your name isn't Warren Buffet or Bill Gates.

So, when your reunion class volunteer calls or writes, please think about how your participation can make a lasting difference to the mission of Johns Hopkins. Class volunteers, along with Johns Hopkins alumni and development staff, can help to outline how your gift can benefit all concerned. Current priorities range from the new Medical Education Building on the East Baltimore medical campus to specific programs and scholarship aid.

To learn more about how philanthropy may be structured to suit your individual needs, or for a copy of this year's Givers Guide to Federal Taxes, call 410-516-0776 or 888-JHM-1336. You might be surprised how a gift plan can increase your financial return, augment retirement income, keep taxes in check, and at the same time provide much-needed support for Johns Hopkins Medicine.