Tuesday, June 17, 2014. It was an ordinary day for an extraordinary phone call:
“Hi! This is Jill Collier. Almost 40 years ago, Crotched Mountain helped train me as a young Special Education teacher.”
Jill called to share how that training had inspired her 38-year career teaching hundreds, if not thousands, of children with disabilities. At the time of the call, as she was setting off on her retirement, Jill was already thinking of how Crotched Mountain could help provide special education training for generations to come.
Less than 15 months later, Jill lost her life in a tragic accident.
But Jill had already sown the seeds of her enduring legacy. A distribution from Jill’s estate created an endowment fund, the Jill Collier Memorial Fund. Since then, Jill’s partner, Andy Card, has helped perpetuate Jill’s passion for special education by stewarding additional contributions from friends, family and others.
Andy: “As an endowed charitable fund, it generates income and growth, and creates proceeds that will support essential training to providers of special educaton for generations.”
Last year, while schools were closed and remote learning was the new normal, students with special needs were struggling at an alarming rate. Crotched Mountain Foundation used proceeds from Jill’s fund to provide specialized training to those offering one-to-one tutoring to dozens of students in community-based programs.
This year, in conjunction with CMF Kids, Jill’s fund is focusing on training for special education teachers throughout many low-income districts. Every training has the potential to inspire teachers for their own decades of service, each improving the lives of thousands of children with disabilities.
Click here to learn more about CMF Kids, an exciting partnership with public school districts serving students with complex disabilities who reside in economically disadvantaged communities.
Would you like to support the Jill Collier Memorial Fund today? Please click here and mention Jill’s fund in the gift note!
If you would like to discuss how to create a legacy gift, please contact Kevin Harte, VP of Advancement at 603.831.8434 or by email at kevin.harte@crotchedmountain.org.
