In 1988, Anne and Bob Carroll of West Hartford, CT set up a Charitable Remainder Unitrust, making Grace Cottage Hospital one of the beneficiaries of the trust upon their deaths.

The Carrolls have had a longtime affinity for Townshend, beginning as far back as Anne’s childhood. “In 1939, my grandparents, Arthur and Helene Thompson, bought what is now an antiques shop on Route 30 in Townshend - the farmhouse on the right just outside the village,” said Anne. “I used to spend every summer there, and I remember playing pool with my cousins in the basement of Dr. Otis’s house on the Townshend Common, where his office was located. We’d be in the middle of a game and Dr. Otis would come charging down the stairs, saying ‘Don’t make so much noise - I’m trying to listen to this man’s heart!’ We’d be quiet for maybe ten minutes!”

The original farmhouse is no longer in the family, but various parcels have been retained by Anne and her cousins, the Lymans. Anne and Bob built a log cabin (with help from Lindy LaMarche) near the old farmstead in the late 1960’s, and rebuilt after a fire in 1980. Although the Carrolls now spend more time in Connecticut and on Cape Cod than they do in Vermont, they’re still extremely supportive of Grace Cottage and its mission.

“We’d like to encourage others to create Charitable Remainder Unitrusts,” said Bob. “While we’re alive, Anne and I receive non-taxable quarterly payments from the trust and, when we die, the remaining amount in the trust will be divided among the beneficiaries we’ve named. The trust is irrevocable in that we can’t discontinue it, but we can change the beneficiaries at any time.

”Bob points out that a Charitable Remainder Unitrust is ideal for those who do not want to pay capital gains tax on highly appreciated stock, as part or all of the original investment in the trust is tax-deductible. For more information about Charitable Remainder Unitrusts contact Grace Cottage Foundation at (802) 365-9109, and consult your attorney and/or accountant.