Ways to Contribute

Contact Information for Making a Gift | Invest in Retreat Healthcare | Ways to Contribute

A view of the main Retreat Healthcare building from a surrounding hill

Annual Giving

A strong annual fund makes the difference between a good behavioral health care provider and an excellent one. Retreat Healthcare’s annual giving program is a critical source of unrestricted income, providing support for our patients and staff for priorities like:

children, adolescent and family services
brain disorder treatment for depression, bipolar illness and schizophrenia
older adult services
addictions treatment
eating disorders
need scholarships
advanced training and education

For example,

$1.000 maintains our outdoor pool, which is used extensively by our children and adolescents
$700 cares for one inpatient each day
$250 allows 25 of our adolescents to go bowling
$100 buys art supplies for one project at our Meadows Educational Center
$50 pays for weekly cooking classes for our adults

Leadership giving to the annual fund is recognized through our five giving societies including:

Anna Marsh Society $10,000 and up
Abigail Rockwell Society $5,000 to $9,999
James Tyler Society $1,000 to $4,999
Edmund Osgood Society $500 to $999
Shailer Lawton Society $250 to $499

Marsh, Rockwell, Tyler, Osgood and Lawton provided leadership to Retreat Healthcare at critical times in our history. We celebrate their contributions through the naming of our leadership giving societies in their honor.

Gifts of all sizes are welcome and recognized in our list of contributors of the annual report.

For more information about our annual giving program, please contact our office of development at 802-258-4313; write us at Retreat Healthcare, Office of Development, Anna Marsh Lane, P.O. Box 803, Brattleboro, VT 05302 or e-mail us at development@retreathealthcare.org.

Major Gift Giving

The Retreat still remains faithful to its guiding purpose – exceptional treatment in a nurturing environment created for healing – established by its founder, Anna Marsh, in 1834. Staying true to this mission, however, has not been without its accompanying challenges named below and summarized into five key areas. These challenges include:

continuing to attract the best, brightest and most caring clinicians across fields
supporting patients regardless of their financial standing – for as long as is needed and in a manner that optimizes recovery
modernizing and creating treatment and support areas for delivering the best in care as it is understood today and as efficiently as possible
maintaining the beauty of an historic but aging physical plant
acquiring and replacing needed equipment

Despite being a well-managed, fiscally sound not-for-profit organization, the Retreat can not hope to address these resource challenges without turning to the philanthropic community for support. The following list of top priority giving opportunities at the major gift level, developed through an inclusive process involving leadership and staff and approved by members of the Board of Trustees, offers interested parties tangible ways in which they can invest in the future of the Retreat.

Facilities

Refurbish the child and adolescent inpatient accommodations (Tyler Three and Four): $400,000 per unit (of 2)
Renovate the Tyler Two adult inpatient unit: $400,000
Transform the campus: $275,000
Renovate the preparation area of the kitchen: $150,000
Modernize the kitchen’s serving area: $100,000
Enhance the Tyler One adult inpatient unit: $100,000
Build a secure outdoor play area for child inpatients: $100,000

Restricted Endowed Funds

Fund a chair in psychiatry, specializing in the treatment of children and adolescents or the treatment of substance abuse: $1,000,000 per chair (of 2)
Fund a nurse internship program: $450,000
Create a fund for need scholarships: Minimum gift of $25,000
Establish a fund to support the training and education of the clinical staff: Minimum gift of $25,000

Equipment

Outfit the campus with 15 defibrillators: $50,000
Enhance patient transportation services: One vehicle for $25,000

For more information about our major gift giving program, please contact our office of development at 802-258-4313; write us at Retreat Healthcare, Office of Development, Anna Marsh Lane, P.O. Box 803, Brattleboro, VT 05302 or e-mail us at development@retreathealthcare.org.

Planned Giving

Establishing a Bequest to Retreat Healthcare and describing its purpose

Unrestricted bequests are preferred because of the flexibility they provide Retreat Healthcare to apply the gift to the greatest future need at the time the bequest is received. However, all legal restrictions stipulated by donors will be followed strictly. We encourage donors or their attorneys to discuss specific restrictions with the staff in the office of development to ensure their intentions can be fulfilled and will match Retreat Healthcare’s long-term objectives. The following offers suggested language to establish a bequest to Retreat Healthcare.

“I give, devise and bequeath to Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat, all (or __________ percent of) the rest, residue and remainder of my estate (or the sum of __________ dollars; or description of property)…”

Unrestricted Gift

“…to be directed by Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat in such a manner as is deemed most useful for the purposes of Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat.”

Unrestricted Endowment

“…to establish an endowment fund which shall be known as the ___________ Fund. Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat shall hold this endowment fund in trust and invest the principal, with disbursements therefrom used in such manner as Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat may direct. This endowment fund shall be managed in accordance with endowment policies and guidelines established from time to time by the Board of Trustees at Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat.”

Restricted Gift

“…to be directed by Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat for the support of (scholarships, specific programs, etc.). In the event the purpose of the bequest can no longer be carried out, or is impractical or inappropriate due to changing conditions, Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat, is authorized and empowered to utilize my bequest for such alternate purposes that may be deemed proper, keeping in mind my above described purpose. "

Restricted Endowment

“…to establish an endowment fund which shall be known as the __________ Fund. Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat shall hold this endowment fund in trust and invest the principal with disbursements therefrom used for the support of (scholarships, specific programs, etc.) at Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat. This endowment fund shall be managed in accordance with endowment policies and guidelines established from time to time by the Board of Trustees of Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat. In the event the purpose of this bequest can no longer be carried out, or is impractical or inappropriate due to changing conditions, Retreat Healthcare and Brattleboro Retreat is authorized and empowered to utilize my bequest for such alternative purposes that may be deemed proper, keeping in mind my above described purpose.”

The above information should not be construed as legal advice. For specific application to your personal situation, it is important that you consult your legal and financial advisors.

For more information about our planned giving program, please contact our office of development at 802-258-4313; write us at Retreat Healthcare, Office of Development, Anna Marsh Lane, P.O. Box 803, Brattleboro, VT 05302 or e-mail us at development@retreathealthcare.org.