Corinne has worked as a Day Captain at the Wells Fargo Family Farm for many years. This work inspired Corinne, and her husband, to include the Zoo in their future plans.
Having grown up in rural Iowa, Corrine Smith is a country girl at heart. She's always enjoyed the outdoors, and hiking is her favorite way to embrace country living and nature. As she says, "Walking down a country road hearing the crunch of gravel under my feet takes me back to my youth."
When her children were young, she and her husband, Sheldon, made sure the family experienced all that nature had to offer. The appreciation of nature must have taken hold, as her son now works as an environmental scientist.
Corrine brings her love of nature and country living to her work as a Minnesota Zoo Volunteer Day Captain at the Wells Fargo Family Farm. As Day Captain she is responsible for coordinating all the activities of the volunteers at the Farm on a specific day. The Farm was designed to show the past, present and possible futures of farming in this country. As our country becomes increasingly urbanized, it is important for people to understand where their food comes from. The Farm is a real life example of this very important message.
A volunteer since 2006, Corrine truly enjoys educating visitors on how a farm works and how the natural world is connected to all of us. For this reason, she and her husband have included the Minnesota Zoo Foundation in their estate plans specifically to support the Wells Fargo Family Farm.
As they will tell you, estate planning is an ongoing process. They review their plan every few years to be sure it reflects any changes that need to be made. Their choice to include the Minnesota Zoo Foundation in their plans speaks to their love of the natural world and the mission of the Minnesota Zoo.
Corrine says, "This is a way for me to preserve the natural world and pay it forward for future generations. I'm doing what I can and feel good about knowing I helped."
If you are interested in learning more about how you can include the Minnesota Zoo Foundation in your estate plans, please contact Amalie Frankel at 651.539.6518 or Amalie.Frankel@mnzoo.org.