Barbara and Paul Kent are committed to ensuring that the things that have been pillars of meaning in their own lives will stand strong far into the future, thanks to a uniquely structured legacy gift.

About 25 years ago, Barbara and Paul decided to buy a life insurance policy with their two daughters as the beneficiaries. “We have two daughters, 33 and 37 years old, who are as different as day and night,” explains Barbara. “We are in a very fortunate position where we have invested wisely and had some very good advice, and when we both leave this world, they will be very well looked after – to the point that we thought, hmm, maybe too well looked after.” Knowing that they didn’t have to worry about their daughters’ financial futures, they wanted to find a way to use their own good fortune to lift up a wider circle around them. “We’re comfortable in our own mortality, but we want to make sure that we’re not just passing through this world – we’re making some kind of impact, more than just our own immediate family. We’ve had a lot of good, blessed experiences, and I think it’s important to give back.”

They decided to take out a second life insurance policy, with the beneficiary being what they called their “third child.” This “third child” is actually six charities to which they have dedicated themselves throughout their lives: Girl Guides, in which Barbara has been involved for 41 years, 31 of which (and counting) as a Unit leader; Symphony Nova Scotia, where they are Trustees; the Nova Scotia Tattoo, in which they both danced; the Red Cross, by whom Paul was named 2015 Humanitarian of the Year; the Parkinson Society, which has been immensely important to the Kents in recent years; the Anglican Church, in which they have been active members since their marriage 45 years ago; and the Nova Scotia Nature Trust.

This creative structure means that they will be providing game-changing support to their favourite six charities while also increasing the overall value of their estate that their daughters will receive. Barbara noted that the payments to their “third child” ”don’t have to go through probate or anything when we die, to simplify things for the executor of our estate. Nothing has to be done when it’s a life insurance policy, because it’s paid out instantly to the beneficiaries.” Their estate will receive the charitable tax credits for these gifts, which will actually increase the amount of money that goes to their daughters.

“I was always a very outdoorsy person,” Barbara says. “I grew up in Dartmouth and was a passionate Girl Guide all my life – I started in Brownies and went right up. I have often said that I will never be able to give back as much as I got out of being in it. I loved the outdoors and the camping side of it.” When she was 15 she met Paul, who had recently immigrated to Nova Scotia from London, England, where getting out into the countryside wasn’t an easy task.

When she was 18, she had the opportunity to buy a one-acre island in Mooseland, from a family for whom she babysat. Her father offered to split the cost. “He said, ‘God’s not making any more land. Get a piece of it while you can,’” Barbara recalls. And she did, for $5,500. She still owns it today, and although she’s added solar panels to run a refrigerator in the cottage, it still has no power and no running water; the only way to access it is by boat. (In recent years, they upgraded their rowboat with a small motor, to accommodate their changing physical needs.) Looking across River Lake, she was glad to know that the Crown Land on the far side would remain wild. “That really was the protection that I wanted to see. This was my little nature trust. So when I found out there was a bigger organization protecting the nature of Nova Scotia the way it is, we wanted to get involved. We believe in the premise.”

That connection with the bigger picture of conservation happened in 2014, when Barbara and Paul toured Borgles Island (near their Mooseland island), as part of the 100 Wild Islands campaign. Soon after, they chartered a boat back to Borgles from Murphy’s Camping On The Ocean to celebrate Paul’s birthday with the whole family, including their then-3-month-old first grandson. “We felt like we were going to the Caribbean for the day,” remembers Barbara. “That’s what cemented it. And we’ve been on board for almost ten years now.”

“Part of the Girl Guide law is ‘protect our common world,’” she continues. “It’s a bang-on statement, because we all share in this lovely province and have a lot of access to land on it, but we have the choice of what kind of environment we maintain for the next generation.” This focus on youth underscores their support for all six of their selected “third child” charities. Paul says that their goal was to create a giving profile that not only supports what they care about, but that puts money toward supporting children facing increasing strife in a changing world. Barbara adds, “We’re doing this for future generations – and when those future generations come about, they have to take up the fight.”

“Life is a series of choices, and we all have choices to make. We have the choice now of where our money is going to go. We’re thankful that there’s enough people who are aligned with us in protecting a part of Nova Scotia for this next generation.”

For more information about creating a natural legacy through a gift of insurance or gift in a Will, please contact Barbara Haley, Senior Advisor, Legacy Giving at barbara@nsnt.ca.