There’s so much bad news these days, it’s nice to report something heartwarming for a change. Trustees of the Ethel Hope (Kirk) Carter Trust announced last week the final distribution of the trust worth more than $633,000, which will benefit a Beebe church and cemetery, a church in Cleburne County and Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.
Carter was a Beebe High School graduate, attended Williams College in Walnut Ridge and received her degree from Eastern Michigan College. Carter, along with her husband, Emitt, taught in Michigan public schools. When they retired, they moved to Heber Springs, and after her husband’s death, Mrs. Carter moved back to the Beebe area.
Her love for children and her desire for all children to receive a good education prompted Mrs. Carter to bequeath several gifts to local charities, according to Norma Kirk and Kathy Roe, the trustees.
The trust recipients are:
$211, 553 to Union Valley Church in Beebe. Her wishes were that these funds be used in the children’s program of the church and for scholarships for deserving graduating seniors entering the education field.
$211,553 to Tumbling Shoals Baptist Church. She and her husband helped establish this church, and the funds will be used for mission work. An equipped and fenced playground, dedicated to the Carters, has been built adjacent to the church to help keep its children safe along the busy highway.
$211,553 to Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation. The Carters’ only child, Jimmy, was a patient there during his childhood. These funds will be used to help keep children at grade-level while they are in the hospital.
A gift was also made to Stoney Point Cemetery Trust Perpetual Care Fund for upkeep and maintenance of the cemetery where Mrs. Carter’s parents and other family members are buried. The rest of the estate was distributed to relatives.
While they were alive, the Carters made their mark on their community as educators. Their generous trust leaves a permanent legacy after their passing.
