When Linda Zwick’s mother, Emily Bradley, passed away, she set up a memorial fund in her honor. Her mom had taught sixth grade at Barranca Elementary for roughly 20 years, so when thinking about where to distribute the funds, it made perfect sense to give back to local children.
When chatting with her spouse, he suggested she use the funds to sponsor summer camp for local sixth graders. As time went on, and friends continued to donate to her mother’s memorial, she consulted with like-minded people and discovered more ways to give back.
One day, her neighbor suggested she should check out the local nature center, operated by the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC). Linda was impressed with the work they were doing, especially in the areas of learning through play and the outdoors.
Over the years as a PEEC supporter, she sponsored school bus rides, treehouse repairs, summer camps, and more (all focused on giving back to the kids in our community).
As time went on, she was invited to join PEEC’s Board of Directors. While serving on the board, she found that with PEEC, she felt she could be a better board member by also volunteering as a docent at the front desk.
Her work as a docent allowed her to get a good look at how staff interact with one another, challenges they might be working through, what visitors are experiencing, and overall how she might help improve PEEC’s day-to-day interactions, further strengthening connections in our community.
She says, “I have come to love this place. Time slows down, and I feel refreshed and calm after sitting at the docent desk.”
Linda continues to docent regularly at the nature center, does her best to support PEEC’s larger events, such as Bear Fest, and enjoys helping with PEEC’s evening programs.
In her planned giving, she has discovered more ways to give by making PEEC a contingent beneficiary for her giving fund.
For more information on PEEC’s Legacy Society or to discover more ways to give, please reach out to Jillian at jillian@peecnature.orgor visit peecnature.org/legacy.
PEEC was founded in 2000 to serve the community of Los Alamos. It offers people of all ages a way to enrich their lives by strengthening their connections to our canyons, mesas, mountains, and skies. PEEC operates the Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road, holds regular programs and events, and hosts several interest groups, from birding to hiking to butterfly watching. PEEC activities are open to everyone; however, members receive exclusive benefits such as discounts on programs and gift shop merchandise. Annual memberships start at $35. To learn more, visit peecnature.org/support/membership/.