Every August, Make-a-Will Month gives us a chance to pause and think about legacy - not just our own, but the legacies we help create for the people and causes we love. It's also the perfect moment to share something that costs nothing today but can mean everything tomorrow: a planned gift to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.
Through our partner, FreeWill, you can create or update your will today, at no cost - the first step toward making a legacy gift like this possible.
A Gift That Shapes the Future
A bequest in your will or trust is one of the most powerful ways to support Fossil Rim without affecting your finances today. It costs nothing now, requires no immediate funds, and can be updated any time your circumstances change. Yet its impact is extraordinary - helping guarantee that the wildlife in our care, and the generations that follow them, have a future worth protecting.
Sustaining a Legacy of Cheetah Conservation
This kind of generosity fuels the work that defines us. It's because of bequests and planned gifts like these that we've been able to sustain the high standards of animal husbandry that have made our cheetah breeding center one of the top three in North America. Since the program began in 1985, it has produced more than 220 cubs; four decades of expertise, partnership, and dedication to one of the world's most iconic, and vulnerable, species.
And we're not done yet. Planned gifts help sustain and grow this program, ensuring that our knowledge, our collaborations, and our commitment to cheetahs only deepen with time.
Opening Doors to New Conservation Efforts
Legacy gifts don't just protect what we've built, they open doors to what comes next. Fossil Rim launched a breeding program for the Texas horned lizard in 2024, a native Texas species facing serious pressures in the wild. Growing that program is a top priority.
Future gifts provide the flexible, lasting support that allows us to acquire equipment, expand our capacity, and give this new effort the strong foundation it deserves.
A Simple Way to Get Started, With FreeWill
Getting started is easier than you might think. Through our partner, FreeWill, you can create or update your will at no cost. It's a simple, secure way to put your plans in place and ensure your wishes are clearly documented.
Your story is still unfolding, and this is one way to help carry it forward with intention and care.
Your Legacy, Their Future
Whether it's continuing 40 years of cheetah conservation success or helping a newer program like the Texas horned lizard initiative continue to grow, a planned gift lets your generosity live on well beyond today. It costs nothing now - but for the wildlife in our care, it could mean everything.
Consider including Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in your will or trust this Make-a-Will Month. To learn more about planned giving, reach out to our Development team today at development@fossilrim.org.