Refuge receives permanently endowed memorial fund
The “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge reported that the Frank and Joanne Hicks Memorial Fund is the family’s way of saying thanks to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge staff and volunteers for the years of enjoyment they have experienced.
Frank and Joanne Hicks grew up loving nature and birds around the lakes in Ontario, Canada. They raised their three children to appreciate wildlife from their home in the Finger Lakes region of western New York State. Joanne Hicks volunteered at the nearby Cummings Nature Center, where she taught classes on birds and nature for the visiting children, and later at the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, once the couple moved to Punta Gorda.
The Hicks loved the Sanibel refuge and often brought their grandchildren to it. Even after Joanne Hicks passed away in 1999, Frank Hicks continued to make the trip from the Shell Point Retirement Community to the refuge with his family. He last visited in 2018 at age 95.
Donors can establish named, permanently endowed funds for $10,000 or more and work with staff to restrict them to their areas of interest. Income from the endowments can fund individual projects or ongoing education, intern, programming, research or other specific needs. For information, contact Lynnae Messina at 239-472-1100 Ext. 233 or Birgie Miller at 239-292-0566.