LEGACY SOCIETY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
Volker’s Legacy Gift to Support CCS’s Future

Beth F. Volker grew up in Port Chester, New York, and went on her first whale watch at the Cape in 1975—when the Dolphin Fleet first went out. “I never missed a year till 2019,” she says. “So my whale watching predates the Center’s formal founding in 1976. I’ve been around a long time to see the organization grow and change.”

After many years of contributing, volunteering, fundraising, and advocating, Beth has arranged for a gift to the Center for Coastal Studies in her estate plan. “I have a living revocable trust that includes all my assets,” she says. “Everything will be turned into cash, and the house will be sold—so it will be an unrestricted cash gift. I want to make sure that the Center remains intact in perpetuity.”

Beth says she purposely left her gift unrestricted because “I can’t know now where my future gift will be most needed. I trust those in a leadership position at CCS at the time my gift arrives to make the best use of the funds and to put them to the highest priority at the time. I am not married and have no children. So I needed to decide which organizations and charities meant the most to me during my lifetime, and CCS is at the top of that list.”

Now living in Essex Junction, Vermont, Beth stays involved with the Center in many ways, including recently with phone calls and notes to year-end donors telling her story of dedication to the Center and why she believes so fervently in what CCS does—and thanking them for doing the same. “Basically, I consider myself a goodwill ambassador for the Center,” she says.

One of Beth’s favorite programs at CCS is the Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team, the disentanglement (or rescue) team that cuts free large whales and sea turtles, led by Scott Landry. “They have trained teams all over the world to do the work that they do,” Beth says. “I am in awe of what they do, putting their lives at risk every day for every disentanglement attempt. Their lives are basically controlled by the needs of any animal in distress. Their dedication is admirable, and they always go above and beyond.

“It’s very important for me to make a difference so this can be part of my legacy,” Beth continues. “The contribution they make to this world is real and tangible. They are making a huge positive difference for the future of our planet and for all the creatures who call it home—not only the sea life, but ultimately human life as well. I know that the best way I can make a difference is to support their efforts financially.”

When asked what she would say to others considering a planned gift to CCS, Beth says: “I would encourage them to treat CCS as one of their heirs, along with their human heirs. If the Center has meant as much to them as it has to me, then they should just include it in their estate plans—making it part of their legacy. And, if their situation is similar to mine, with no living relatives, all the more reason to include a gift to the Center for Coastal Studies.”