The Gates Society

The Gates Society is named to honor Frank and Ross Gates, whose bequests have benefited the Valley Community in profound ways, including seeding the formation of the Valley Community Foundation.

Endowment gifts, such as the Gates Fund, provide permanent support for purposes donors held dear during their lives. While increasing in size, the Gates Fund has supported diverse Valley organizations and initiatives, including capital and equipment improvements, scouting trips and teen mentoring programs, and emergency food, shelter and transportation services.

The Board of the Valley Community Foundation invites you to become a member of The Gates Society which recognizes those individuals who have included a charitable gift in their estate plans through the Foundation. The Gates Society provides a way to thank and honor individuals during their lifetimes for gifts that will come through their estates. These gifts may contribute to an existing Fund, or with a gift of $10,000 or more, can establish new funds with purposes of the donor’s choosing. Gifts may be bequests through wills; charitable trusts or annuities that pay the donors income during their lives; and gifts of life insurance and retirement assets.

Donors have the sense of satisfaction that comes with making a commitment to the future of this community through a permanent endowment. Members will be listed in the Foundation’s publications (unless donors prefer anonymity) and will be kept current on Foundation programs and activities. Members also provide a powerful example to others who are considering a legacy gift. Foundation staff is available to The Gates Society members and their financial and legal advisors to discuss their estate and gift planning objectives.

Who were the Gates Brothers?

The Gates family, like many other early settlers to the Naugatuck Valley, arrived in Derby by way of other Connecticut towns. The first family members were English settlers who made their way from Hartford via East Haddam in the 1780s.  Derby, an agricultural community at the intersection of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers, was a port where ships could be stocked with provisions for the voyage south. As commercial activity in the town increased, residents built mills to make use of the rivers.

The Gates family opened a dry goods store and soon added several ships to bring their goods to nearby ports. By the 1870s when Letitia Fletcher Hegeman Gates had given birth to her sons Frank and Ross, the family was a member of Derby’s well-established gentry.  Learn more...
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