Mary Connell and Bonnie Gibson Support CCS with Lifetime and Legacy Gifts

Longtime summer residents of Wellfleet, Mary Connell and Bonnie Gibson went on their first whale watch with the Dolphin Fleet in 1984. Since then, they’ve gone whale watching about 40 times! “We learn something every time,” said Bonnie.

Their first memory of the Center for Coastal Studies is when Ibis was rescued in the Center’s first disentanglement on Thanksgiving Day 1984, and they recall seeing Ibis while whale watching the following year.

“We’re not scientists, but we love the Cape—and from going on whale watches, we both became absolutely fascinated by whales. They’re remarkable, sophisticated animals with a real social structure, and that’s what drew us in. There’s so much to learn about them, and naturalists from the Center for Coastal Studies did such a good job educating us,” explained Mary.

When Center for Coastal Studies memberships became available, they joined, and they always include an extra donation. About ten years ago, Mary and Bonnie began to start thinking about what more they could do to support the Center. So, in addition to their annual giving, after learning of the Center’s planned giving program, they included the Center in their estate plan.

“It’s just amazing how far this organization has come. The rate of growth over the last 50 years has been remarkable. It’s done such good work, and we’re so fortunate to be in an area where there’s so much research to be done and such an abundance of whales and other things to study,” said Mary.

Recently, they went for a walk to Chipman’s Cove in Wellfleet and were impressed to see researchers from CCS testing the water there, which spoke to them about the wide scope of important research done by the Center.

Bonnie noted that both she and Mary spent their careers working for nonprofit organizations, Mary at the Girl Scouts of America and Bonnie at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Our backgrounds really informed us about how nonprofits work and about how the need for financial support is essential,” said Bonnie.

As donors, every summer Mary and Bonnie look forward to the special events hosted by the Center, such as lunches and cocktail parties where they meet scientists and staff members. But most of all, they look forward to yet another whale watch!