Growing up on a farm in Nebraska, Jan Eckhardt developed a deep love for animals early in life. She hoped to be a veterinarian. While attending college in the 1950s, however, she was not selected for the program—they had already admitted two women and would not accept anymore. Despite this setback, Jan went on to study zoology and ecology, soon becoming an early advocate for environmental preservation and sustainability.

"Even then, I can remember my professor saying that it was my generation that would have to tackle these issues," she says.

Jan became a member of WWF in the early 1980s. Over the last three decades, she has watched the organization plan, develop, build, and sustain conservation programs around the world. She has been impressed with how WWF works with other governments, cultures, and organizations to preserve both human livelihoods and animal life.

Moving forward, Jan knows that to have the impact needed to save entire species and habitats, the work must be coordinated by large organizations like WWF that have the scientific expertise and global reach to create real change.

"If we don't work together," she says, "we won't get anything done."

Extending her support of WWF beyond her lifetime was important to Jan when she realized it was not only her generation that would have to tackle these issues, but generations to come. By remembering WWF with a gift in her estate plan, Jan will be able to support the care and preservation of the animals and world she loves so much, well into the future.

To learn how you, like Jan, can protect the future of nature with your future gift, please contact Office of Gift Planning at 888-993-9455 or legacygifts@worldwildlife.org.