Joaquim “Joe” Ribeiro ’58 began his philanthropic legacy at WPI in 1965, and from that point on he and his wife Sarah have continued to support WPI in meaningful and impactful ways. As a former officer and venture manager at the university, both Sarah and Joe have an ongoing fondness for WPI. Joe offers that he is deeply grateful to WPI for his education, and that he and Sarah sincerely appreciate the friendships which they made while on The Hill over these many years. The couple regularly attends WPI events and welcomes the opportunity to support the WPI mission and to stay connected to their dear WPI community. The Ribeiros are also the proud parents of five children and seven grandchildren.
As the child of missionaries and a WPI merit scholarship recipient, Joe is greatly appreciative of the tuition support he received while attending WPI. Alden Society members since 2002, Sarah and Joe have honored the support Joe received as a student by consistently giving back to the university. The couple’s most recent gift was a highly effectual deferred flexible gift annuity. The flexible portion of the annuity allowed Sarah and Joe to defer their initial annuity payment for a number of years to best suit their income needs. Deferring the annuity payment also allows the funds to grow in value in addition to providing the Ribeiros with a charitable deduction the year the gift was made.
As appreciative and devoted members of the WPI community, Sarah and Joe are determined to give back to the university ensuring that future generations of students may be afforded the same life changing experiences that Joe received during his time as a student. For this reason, the remainder of their annuities will be used to fund the Joe and Sarah Ribeiro Endowed Scholarship. WPI is honored to be the guardian of Sarah and Joe’s philanthropic legacy for many generations to come.