PLANNEDGIVINGHow Can I Help?Planned Giving Optionsby Robert Anthonyas a longtime Dutchess Day trustee andparent of three alums (Arthur ’03, Mimi ’04,and Sarah ’08) I have been closely associatedwith the school for the past severaldecades. I have come to appreciate the unique rolethat DDS plays in Dutchess County. Our communitywas indeed fortunate when Dutchess Day was foundedin this region in 1955. It has been an invaluableresource for families in the Hudson Valley for nearly60 years. Having a first rate elementary school in ourbackyard has proven to be a tremendous asset forfamilies as they consider the merits of residing in orrelocating to this neighborhood.DDS’s upcoming 60th Anniversary provides allof us with an opportunity. It is a perfect time to askourselves how we might best contribute to the schoolat this time. I encourage all who are in a position todo so to consider a bequest or some other type ofplanned gift which will increase the school’s endowment.The endowment provides funds on an annualbasis for financial aid for deserving young students,for support of the faculty in taking advantage ofprofessional development opportunities, and for themaintenance of the growing physical plant. We canall help in some way and I urge all members of theDDS family to ponder how they might participate inthis anniversary effort to help provide the financialresources that Dutchess Day requires to meet thechallenges of today and tomorrow.Below is a recap of some of the simplest and mosteffective planned giving options.●Gift from your will.A bequest naming DDS as beneficiary of a will orrevocable trust. This can be a dollar amount or apercent of the remainder of your estate after all otherbequests, taxes, and expenses.●Beneficiary of life insurance.DDS becomes beneficiary of a plan that you nolonger need (for example your children are grown).Proceeds not subject to estate tax and may be largeenough to create a named endowment to carry onyour support into the future.●Beneficiary of a retirement plan.Amounts distributed to a non-profit like DDS willbe tax free, which means that 100 cents on the dollarwill be used for a charitable purpose you designate.If you plan to provide support to DDS through yourestate, retirement assets will almost always be the“best” assets to use.If you would like to learn more about planned givingat Dutchess Day School, please contact Vanessa Parkat vpark@dutchessdaysch.org or at (845)677-5014.Did you know Dutchess Day School is on Facebook and Twitter?Visit us there, clicK “liKe,” aND follow us to checK out upcomiNg eVeNts!18 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter <strong>2015</strong>
NEWTRUSTEESDDS New Trustee Profilesby Vanessa ParkJOHN ALLEN rejoins the boardafter a one year hiatus. John andhis wife, Christine Wagner, cameto Dutchess as parents in 2001when their daughter Charlotte’10 entered kindergarten. Johnhas been an avid supporter ofand volunteer at the schoolever since, most notably servingas a trustee from 2002-2013as treasurer, chair of the financecommittee, and vice-president,and in many other roles. Priorto moving to Sherman, CT, Johnworked in finance in New YorkCity. He was most recently atGoldman, Sachs & Co. asvice president.The product of an independentschool education, as a Hotchkissgraduate John understands thevalue to be gained at a schoollike Dutchess where a close-knitcommunity teaches students thevalue of learning, volunteering,sportsmanship, and supportingone another.John says, “It’s a great honorto return to the board and tobe able to maintain a strong connectionto the DDS community,which has added so much to ourlives and for which my daughter,wife, and I have tremendousaffection, gratitude, and respect.Personally, I have been involvedwith very few organizations thathave been so engaging, reward-ing, and fun. I am looking forwardto being involved with thisvery special place, again.ALICIA DAVIS was born inMilledgeville, GA and lived invarious places throughout theSouth as she grew up. Aliciaattended the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill, withan English major and creativewriting minor, graduating in1991. She moved to New YorkCity where she worked atConnoisseur Magazine in thephotography department.When Connoisseur foldedunexpectedly, Alicia movedsouth again to Atlanta, GAwhere she worked forNationsBank (later Bank ofAmerica) in the outplacementdepartment. In 1995 Aliciamoved to the Hudson Valleyto attend graduate school. Sheearned an MA in teachingEnglish from the State Universityof New Paltz. From 1997-2000,she taught 10th and 12th gradeEnglish at Arlington HighSchool. In addition to teachingcore classes, she designed andtaught three senior electivecourses in poetry, creativewriting, and world literature.Alicia recently joined the CreativeCouncil for Live Arts Bard at theFisher Center at Bard College.Alicia, her husband StevenEllis, and two sons, Jack ’14 andSam ’17 live in Germantown.A tireless volunteer for theParents Association, she joinedthe board in the spring of 2014.Alicia says, “As a trustee,I am honored to support thiscommunity and work withother trustees who give freelyof their time to make surewe stay true to the mission ofthe school: strong academics,fostering natural curiosity, andproviding an atmosphere oftrust and mutual respect.”ANN STETTNER CHARLES joins theboard this year in her capacityas Parents Association president.Ann is co-owner and head ofsales and marketing at WildThymes Farm, Inc. Since joiningthe family company in 1997,she has launched a line ofWild Thymes branded products,developed marketing and salesplans for the products, andadded new channels of tradeincluding private label, foodservice,and retail (consumerwebsite). Under her direction,Wild Thymes has gained areputation for creativity, quality,and superior customer service.Prior to joining Wild Thymes,Ann was a senior executive ata sports marketing firmthe court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 19
Change language