How One Hike on Peets Led to Legacy Giving
As their retirement years approached, Bunny and Jim Gaffney looked westward. They spent two summers searching for their future home and, in October 1998, packed up and moved from the Adirondacks in northern New York to Bozeman, Montana.
Knowing that newcomers often leave after a year or two, particularly if there’s been a harsh winter, one of their friends shared some advice: Spend a year in Bozeman to see how it “fits” before deciding to make the move permanent.
Two days after settling in their rental house, Bunny and Jim took a walk on Peets Hill.
Bunny recalls, “It was a beautiful day, and we loved seeing all the folks with their dogs out enjoying the trail. And the 360-degree views were amazing to us.”
She asked Jim, “Can you believe this town has a trail like this?”
At the end of their walk, they read the trail kiosk with GVLT’s story about how the trail came to be.
Bunny looked at Jim and said, “I don’t need a year.” Jim quickly responded, “I don’t need a year!” And they didn’t.
Bunny explains, “GVLT and its mission sold us on this town.”
Not only did the Gaffneys make their move permanent, but they also became loyal GVLT supporters—even serving as two of the most dedicated participants in our longtime Make Tracks for Trails ski-a-thon event.
Their passion for southwest Montana, which has now been their home for nearly three decades, inspired them to include GVLT in their estate planning.
“We want to help conserve all the open land that is so precious to our valley—land that is preserved for farmland, wildlife, hikers, and all those who enjoy the outdoors, as Jim and I do,” explains Bunny. “If it were not for all GVLT’s efforts to see these protected, the uniqueness of the Gallatin Valley would be forever lost.”
If you’re also inspired to include GVLT in your estate plans to protect this place beyond your lifetime, the process is surprisingly easy. Simply complete the Lupine Legacy Commitment of Intent Form, noting whether you’d prefer to make a legacy gift through your will, trust, annuity, or by designating GVLT as the beneficiary of your IRA or retirement plan, donor-advised fund, investment or bank account, or life insurance policy.
Reflecting on their decision to join GVLT’s Lupine Legacy Society, Bunny shared, “Our gift will not be reaching you until we are no longer here. But it is so comforting to know we can do something to ensure that what we are enjoying today—the trails and the open space that is already preserved—will continue into the future and is in good hands with GVLT.”
For more questions about GVLT’s legacy giving program, contact our Director of Development, Justin Barth. Is GVLT already included in your estate plan? Let us know today to join the Lupine Legacy Society.