The Gift of Giving: The Orgera Family

Walter & Joyce Orgera developed a great fondness for the West River Valley during decades of summer camping trips to Camperama in Townshend.
“As our son and two daughters were growing up, we’d come up from our home in Redding, Connecticut, as often as possible,” said Joyce. “We all loved Vermont. As soon as we retired, we purchased property and built a home right on the West River, not far from Camperama.”

Walt’s father, a dentist in Stamford, CT, who died in 2001, and Walt’s mother, Janet, who died in 2005, had left their estate to their children, with the provision that they each donate part of the proceeds to a charity of their choice. To Walt and Joyce, the decision to give to Grace Cottage when the estate was settled in early 2008 was a logical one.

“Grace Cottage Hospital had always been there for us over the years when we were at Camperama,” said Walt. “Now that we’re here full-time, year-round, we depend on Grace Cottage even more for our healthcare, and we know that many others in this area do as well. We’re pleased to help Grace Cottage, and we know that my parents would have been happy with this choice.”