On a beautiful spring day in April 2024, long-time Caledon Hills Club volunteer Andrée Zeritsch retired as Treasurer at their Annual General Meeting. Standing in front of a packed room of fellow volunteers and members, Andrée’s 12 years of service was recognized and celebrated.

While her tenure as Club Treasurer ended, her passion for the Bruce Trail remains. In fact, Andrée’s participation with the Bruce Trail Conservancy started long before her time on the committee began, and because of her decision to include the BTC in her will, her impact will be felt well into the future.

As a child growing up in the Ottawa Gatineau area, Andrée has fond memories of venturing outdoors with her dad on Saturdays to fish for Brook Trout and take walks along the stream on the Quebec side. “Even though I was a city girl, I loved being out in the country. We often collected butternuts, and brought them home where I would crack them open, and my dad would make butternut fudge. These are fond childhood memories that often come to mind as I hike along the Bruce Trail. I still look for butternuts.”

Once married, Andrée enjoyed life in the country, living on a hobby farm south of Ottawa with her husband for 25 years. When he passed away, new opportunities brought her to the Toronto area, and city life once again. Her job with a global charity kept her busy, and the Bruce Trail became a refuge when life became stressful. “A friend of mine, who happened to be a member of the Caledon Hills Club, introduced me to hiking on the Bruce Trail with the ‘Tuesday Hikes’ group. I didn’t even know the Bruce Trail existed, and yet I soon learned I could hop in my car and be on the Trail at the Forks of the Credit in 30 minutes. During some of my busier days, the peace of the river and birds were welcome sounds that kept me grounded. This was a gift of nature in my life.”

Like many members, Andrée was inspired to make her first donation to the BTC in response to an appeal for a new property, and has remained committed to the mission throughout the years. “I would love to see the entire Bruce Trail secured in my lifetime. So much about life today seems motivated by profit. By preserving the ribbon of wilderness, and ensuring it can’t be paved over, we are investing in our health and access to nature. This goal is not about profit. It’s about the opportunity to donate for the good of everyone – people and nature.”

When it came time to do her will, Andrée wanted her money to go towards causes she was passionate about, and whose work she felt confident in. “At that point, I had been involved as a supporter and volunteer with the Bruce Trail Conservancy for many years. There were a few reasons that led to my decision to include a gift in my will to the BTC. I have a lot of respect for the organization, and pride in how it’s run. I’ve worked all my life to get to where I am today, and wanted to make sure my money goes where I want it to. And finally, I thought of the children I so often see out hiking with their families. My own love of nature was inspired early in life by my father. He gave me the gift of exploring nature and spending
time outdoors, and it stayed with me forever. It is my hope that my gift will help inspire the same for future generations.”