Ways To Give: What Other Alums Are Saying
ira charitable rollover
Caroline Taplin ’65
Caroline Taplin ’65
Caroline Taplin ’65, a longtime supporter of SJA grew up in St. Johnsbury on Boynton Avenue, and greatly enjoyed her time at the school. She stated, “It was a different and much smaller world where school, friends, and family were my life.”
Caroline fondly remembers two faculty members from her time at SJA, “Mr. Ryan (Francis Ryan, former Head of Guidance Department) had an enormous impact on me and some of my classmates: he encouraged us to have big dreams and helped us make them happen…Jack Easterling (English Faculty) was the most inspiring teacher I ever had, anywhere.”
Following high school, Caroline attended Bryn Mawr College, majoring in history. She then worked in Vermont State Government for about ten years before earning a master’s degree in public health from University of North Carolina. She has spent the last 40 years with the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC. For about half of that time, Caroline has been a policy analyst/advisor in the Secretary’s office with an interest in the intersection of health care financing and service delivery.
When asked why she gives to St. Johnsbury Academy, Caroline said, “The Academy now offers opportunities and experiences that were beyond my teen-age imagination. I want them to be available to all motivated students, regardless of their circumstances. I want people to grow up in the Northeast Kingdom to know and take advantage of what the world has to offer.”
One of the ways Caroline donates to SJA is through an IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution, also known as an IRA Charitable Rollover. This is available to IRA owners who are 70 ½ years or older, and is a simple, tax-free way to immediately support St. Johnsbury Academy students and programs. Qualified individuals can transfer any amount, up to $100,000 annually, from an IRA to SJA and pay no taxes on that gift. The transfer may count as part of an individual’s required minimum distribution.
Caroline explained why she has used this method to support SJA, “I’m still working so IRA minimum distributions are ‘funny money,’ not part of my everyday life. These are dollars I’ve never seen and don’t (at least for now) need. What better use for them?”
Caroline encourages other alums to consider this way of giving to St. Johnsbury Academy because it is flexible, easy, and has a tax advantage.