Edward "Ted" Richards loved singing. "He sang his entire life," said his wife, Paula Gills. Both professional musicians and English teachers at Norwich University, Ted and Paula sang with the Randolph Singers and the choir at their church. They frequented theater, from Broadway to community plays. For fifteen years, Ted was on the board of Lost Nation Theater, an organization he "adored," according to his wife.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2015, Ted passed in 2020 just a few weeks before the pandemic. More than twenty years prior, he had established a series of interlocking trusts, including a testamentary fund at the VCF, the Richards-Gills Fund for Musical and Theater Arts for Central Vermont. At the time, he hoped the charitable fund would provide support to arts organizations in the community.

"The timing is so meaningful," said Paula of Ted's testamentary gift through a Charitable Remainder Trust going into an arts-focused discretionary fund just prior to the pandemic. "Our ardent desire is to help organizations stay solvent, to rebuild, and hopefully get to a position to thrive again. This fund could mean the difference between remaining open or closing for an arts organization in Vermont. It's incredibly humbling."

"When you look at a painting or go to a concert, you're transformed," said Paula. "You're just not the same person you were before. It's an invitation to let your imagination and your inner person explore. I'm so glad Ted set up this fund and that he trusted me to carry it forward."