Members of the St. Anne’s community who include the school in their estate planning become part of the Red Door Legacy Society. Named after the beautiful red doors of our school, which symbolize welcome in the Episcopalian tradition, this society honors those who choose to support St. Anne’s legacy. By including St. Anne’s in your estate planning, you help secure the school’s financial future.
Is St. Anne's Episcopal School already in your will, trust or other estate plans?
Please let us know about your plans because it helps St. Anne's plan for the future. Contact Bernadette Devine at bdevine@saintannesschool.org or at302-378- 3179, ext. 133 and we will add your name to our "Red Door Legacy Society."
Don't have a will? Then you're not alone! Now is a great time to start planning, and please consider including a bequest to St. Anne's in your estate plans.We invite you to complete our downloadable"Red Door Legacy Society form," or complete the online form, below.
It is not difficult to put a gift planning arrangement in place. There are a number of ways that you can provide for St. Anne's as well as yourself and your loved ones. This one page quick-planner summarizes different commonly used instruments to help you make decisions based on what is important to you.
To leave a specific dollar amount to St. Anne's:
"I give twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) to St. Anne's Episcopal School, Delaware"
To leave a percentage of the estate to St. Anne's:
"I give ten percent (10%) of my estate to St. Anne's Episcopal School, Delaware"
To leave a specific piece of personal property to St. Anne's:
"I give my Sheraton card table and my silver service to St. Anne's Episcopal School, Delaware."
To leave all or a portion of the estate remainder (the balance of the estate after the payment of specific bequests, debts, taxes and other estate expenses):
"I give to St. Anne's Episcopal School, Delaware, all (or a portion of) the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, to be used for the general purposes of the School (or insert a specific designated purpose)."
Please note that we are not giving legal or financial advice and none of the information provided should be interpreted as such. We encourage you to consult with your own legal counsel or financial advisor before deciding whether or not to proceed with a legacy gift.
The Rev. Louise Howlett and her husband Lindsay Brown were raising their family and working across the street at St. Andrew’s School when the idea of St. Anne’s Episcopal School was born. “We were excited about a school connecting us with the wider community, and offering a faith-based, open-hearted, open-minded education to our children and others,” explains Louise. “When St. Anne’s opened its doors, I was honored to be hired as the founding chaplain and religion teacher, and our boys started with me in 1st and 4th grade.”
Louise and Lindsay’s involvement with St. Anne’s has spanned many years, though they have recently left the Middletown area. Louise worked as chaplain, teacher, diversity and service learning coordinator for more than nine years and then returned to St. Anne’s as a part-time consulting counselor after she received her family counseling degree in 2013. Lindsay served on the St. Anne’s Board of Trustees for 3 years from 2013 to 2016. Their boys, Forrest and Malcolm, graduated from St. Anne’s in 2007 and 2010, respectively and went on to have great academic careers in high school and university. Forrest Brown is currently a member of the St. Anne’s Board Trustees.
“St. Anne’s mission is a great match for what gives our lives joy and meaning,” shared Louise. “We have all felt thankful for the sense of community, caring, creativity, and commitment to lifelong learning at St. Anne’s. As a minister and family therapist, I care about supporting people, nurturing relationships, and building communities which help us experience love and connection to one another and God’s creation. My husband is a teacher and coach and cares deeply about young people learning and growing in ways that serve the world.”
Both Louise and Lindsay have been generous with their time, talent and treasure. “We have made a commitment to support financially whatever we pray for in thanks or concern, and St. Anne’s is at the top of our yearly giving list,” they shared. “We know every dollar makes a difference and we can have full confidence that St. Anne’s manages our money well and puts it to uses we can be proud of. We hope we can particularly support financial aid so that any family who wishes to be part of St. Anne’s can be helped to do so, no matter their means. We especially hope that students from a wide variety of backgrounds will be able to attend St. Anne’s.”
The couple hopes others can feel motivated and encouraged to share their blessings with others every day and that is why they have included St. Anne’s in their estate plans. “We have been blessed in our lives with wonderful educations and supportive communities. We would like to share that blessing with others. We want to leave a legacy of hope and promise for others. And of course, ‘you can’t take it with you!’ so why not share it?
When Lora Graves Byrd accepted the call to be St. Anne's Episcopal School's Middle School Head in 2009, she was searching for a school that more closely mirrored her values. St. Anne's had what she was looking for, "St. Anne's has the right balance of preparing students academically for high school and beyond, and growing and supporting the whole child."
Mrs. Byrd has spent her entire career working in education. As a distinguished educator, counselor, dean and administrator -- she has enjoyed mentoring young people through the ups and downs of adolescence.
After seven years of helping to develop our wonderful Middle School into a rigorous academic environment that is also a compassionate place full of joyful learning, in 2016 Mrs. Byrd announced that she would be retiring – to allow her to spend more time with her husband Kimble and their three grown children.
In tandem with her educational legacy at St. Anne's, Mrs. Byrd has shared that she will leave a philanthropic legacy as well.
"My hope for every child: to come from a loving home and to get an education like St. Anne's," said Mrs. Byrd. "That is why I have decided to give a portion of my estate to the school."
Mrs. Byrd's philanthropic legacy is focused on educational institutions because she believes this is the best way to help society in the long run. She believes there are "embryonic leaders" here at St. Anne's who will have an impact on the larger world.
Mrs. Byrd said her decision to include St. Anne's in her estate plan was first and foremost motivated by love. She also hopes the idea will spread.
"It is important for people to know that everybody can make a gift like this. It does not matter your circumstances, what matters is what you love and care about. It is wonderful to be able to leave a piece of you with a place that you love."
