Winchester Couple Donating Their Fortune

One Winchester couple has decided to donate most of its fortune to charity.

Bill and Joyce Cummings were the first Massachusetts couple to sign the Giving Pledge, according to the Boston Globe.

The pledge, which was started by Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates, invites the wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to charity either during their lifetime or after their death.

According to the Globe, Bill and Joyce Cummings were trying to set an example for the wealthiest one percent, by signing more than 90 percent of their fortune.

The couple has made its fortune through real estate property, which has land in Woburn, Wakefield, Stoneham and other areas in Massachusetts. Bill has also served on the Winchester Planning Board and was director of the and .

Bill and Joyce Cummings have made it a habit of donating money.

Their Cummings Foundation has donated over $500,000 to the , and built a 12,000 square foot teen center in Beverly, and their McKeown Scholarship has awarded more than $400,000 to students. Last year's McKeown winner, student Chelsea Fujimoto, .    

“It was easy to give,” Bill Cummings told the Globe.