Place-based education and giving back are two passions that Frank Trocco has carried with him for decades. He co-founded the National Audubon Society Expedition Institute in the 1970’s, creating degree programs in environmental studies and fostering immersive educational opportunities for high school students for twenty years. He went on to work with both undergraduate and graduate students at Lesley University, where he still works.
Frank’s first planned gift to CCLC was of his Straight Bay property. His gift was doubled by other contributors securing a beautiful setting for recreation, traditional fisheries access, and field study. Frank’s legacy in environmental education will live on now, for generations to come. Thank you, Frank!
The original vision of CCLC to provide educational opportunities to all people, regardless of their economic status, was especially appealing to Frank, as he had previously only seen those opportunities accessed by wealthy people. When he saw that vision turn to reality through CCLC’s development and became involved in the organization, from flipping burgers at events to becoming a Board member, Frank knew that he could help further CCLC’s goals in more ways than one. Frank reflects on his decision to give a bequest to CCLC as a logical, simple thing to do. “You don’t need a will to do a bequest—it’s very simple,” he said, “I went into my retirement account website, typed in CCLC’s address and tax code, and it was done in ten minutes. I did the same with my checking and savings accounts too. You could put a bequest on any type of account that has barely anything in it. You can specify that the bequest is for some portion of an account or the whole thing. It’s also not a permanent commitment: you can change it later and you can continue to spend your money from those accounts.”
Beyond the simplicity of the process of giving bequests that Frank wanted to be sure to highlight, Frank also described his feeling of contentedness when he finalized his bequests, knowing that his money could do the most good in CCLC’s hands into the future. In his words, “It extended my time.”