Building a Legacy of Saving Special Places

Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, North Andover © Krista Photography

Spending time in nature has been a lifelong passion for Barbara and Stan Schantz. Barbara fondly remembers playing with her sister in the woods behind her family’s Lynn home, while Stan remembers the joy of summering at his family’s one-room schoolhouse in Osceola, New York.

“When people ask, ‘Why did you include The Trustees in your estate planning? Why conservation?’, it all goes back to Barbara’s and my youth and our love of the out-of-doors and woods,” Stan said.

The Schantzes gave their first gift to The Trustees in 2001 and became members of The Semper Virens Society in 2011 when they designated The Trustees as the beneficiary of their donor-advised fund (DAF).

“I have been pushing the DAF for years because it’s an extremely convenient way to give to charity,” Stan said.

Over the years the Schantzes became more involved with the organization, serving on committees and volunteering at Trustees properties. Stan helped clear trails at Long Hill, while Barbara took landscaping courses at Long Hill and Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens—where she led the effort to establish the Stevens-Coolidge Place Perennial Garden Volunteer Group, The Trustees’ Volunteers of the Year in 2013.

“I continue to be impressed with how The Trustees has grown in the 20+ years that we’ve been part of the community,” Stan said. “Making a planned gift through our DAF was an easy way to help ensure the organization continues to grow strong and thrive.”