Donor Profiles: Rebecca Canright
At 24 years old, Rebecca Canright may be young, but she understands the importance of planning for the future, both on a personal level and a larger scale. This year, Rebecca prepared her will and included a bequest to Friends of the Earth in her plans.
“I’m only 24 but I feel so committed to Friends of the Earth and its important work in safeguarding the future of our planet!” she says. “It’s so important to leave the earth with more care, respect, and healing then we started with.”
Growing up on an organic farm in New Jersey gave Rebecca an appreciation of plants and animals, and the interconnectedness of life. “I remember telling my friends from a young age about the importance of treating the environment well,” she says.
Rebecca went on the study environmental policy at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. As a student, she attended environmental lobby days to testify in support of environmental bills at the Washington state legislature. “This helped me see the magic that can happen when we use advocacy to protect the planet,” she says.
When it came time to create an estate plan, Rebecca included a bequest to Friends of the Earth and in doing so, became a member of our Shared Earth Society. “I wanted to include FOE in my will because I want to leave a legacy for healthy future ecosystems. Our world needs our caring and healing attention.”
Rebecca is especially passionate about protecting peatlands, wetlands, and forests, as they are critical carbon sinks. Her passion is shared by FOE’s International Forests Campaign, which aims to address deforestation by influencing the financing of forest-destroying sectors, such as palm oil and cattle; advancing policies and practices that foster biocultural diversity; and strengthening the land and resource rights of forest-dependent communities.
“We have a lot more power than we might think,” she says. “I would like my fellow young people to find joy in environmental activism, for the health of our future and our fellow species. It brings such joy to know that our actions can have a healing impact upon Earth – it makes life so much worth living.”
About her bequest to Friends of the Earth, Rebecca says, “I wouldn’t want to leave my estate with anyone less.”