“Sierra Club” and “family” go hand in hand for Mary Ann Ruiz.

From her early childhood, Mary Ann’s formative experiences were outdoors with her family. Her parents “packed up all four of us kids in the station wagon every summer,” she shared, and they headed up to Yosemite, with spring break trips to Joshua Tree, or Death Valley. One memorable summer, they had an extended trip camping in several National Parks across the West.

Sierra Club was there, too. Her father, Ray Johnson, applied for membership in the Sierra Club “back when approval to join was required.” They learned about best practices for backpacking and Mary Ann went on her first official Sierra Club outing when she was 14.

Looking back, Mary Ann realizes how much of an impact those family adventures had on her. “Rocks, flowers, birds, night skies — my interest in seeing and learning was instilled by my parents. Those early experiences in nature often lead to a desire to protect Mother Earth throughout one's life.”

Many years later, in 2000, Mary Ann’s husband passed away and she became a single mom to her three children — a son in college and daughters 7 and 14. “I turned to Sierra Club to find outdoor opportunities for myself and my girls, and found a second family of lifelong friends.” Those outdoor adventures, with all types of family, continued. She’s been on too many hikes, backpacks, and river raft trips to name, but her favorite was an eight day backpacking trip she took in 2012 in the Pioneer Basin and Mono Recesses.

When the time came to update her estate plans, Mary Ann knew that she wanted to include a planned gift to support the San Gorgonio Chapter. Mary Ann has served in a number of volunteer leadership positions, including being Chapter Chair from 2015 until earlier this year. That involvement helped her to realize that there was a way she could carry on the work of the San Gorgonio Chapter long into the future.

By including a gift in her will, Mary Ann becomes the newest member of the Rachel Carson Society. She has made a plan to support the San Gorgonio Chapter for future generations of her Sierra Club family, all without any impact on her current budget. Said Mary Ann, “I've seen how legacy gifts have helped my own chapter, and want to provide what I can.“