Charles Brannon has long appreciated the healing power of nature. When he was a child, his family found solace in our country’s national parks and he wrote state officials about environmental issues. Today, Charles is planting seeds for a sustainable future — by building a public healing garden and by making a legacy gift to Sierra Club.

Q: What first inspired your connection to nature? My parents were keenly interested in the environment and park systems. To escape their work, we’d hitch up the Airstream and head out. We traveled from the northern tip of Canada to the southern border of Mexico. And, we visited every national park except those in Alaska and Hawaii.

Q: Tell me about your desire to protect our planet. My parents encouraged us to write and read a lot. By age eight, I was writing to state governors about the environment — and many wrote back. This began a lifelong interest in opening people’s eyes to problems affecting our beautiful Earth. I helped establish Sierra Club’s Alabama State Chapter, and now I’m generating support for the Winged Victory Sanctuary Neurological Healing Garden. It will have thousands of plants in themed gardens to treat different ailments, including my Parkinson’s.

Q: Do you have a favorite Sierra Club outing experience? Yes — a Class 4 (dangerous!) whitewater canoe expedition. I recall my knuckles were white the entire drive to the launch site. But it was a wonderful ride — the canoe flipping over and watching our dinner float away. It was a glorious trip we were never able to top.

Q: What inspired you to create a legacy gift with Sierra Club? There is so much we need to do! My generation cannot finish everything. So, similar to what happens at drive-throughs today, we pay it forward.

Be a Champion for the Environment

Join Charles and give future generations the healing power of nature. Contact our team at (800) 932-4270 or giftplanning@sierraclub.org to discuss your options.