The seeds that led Michelle Aboodi to become a generous supporter of Trust for Public Land were planted early. In high school, in northern New Jersey, she nudged the administration to launch a composting program in the school cafeteria. Once, in an implicit message about sustainability, she lugged all the garbage she produced for one week around in a trash bag.

Her philanthropic spirit was cultivated at an even younger age. Starting at age 10, Aboodi received money for Hanukkah from her grandfather with instructions to keep half and give the other half to charity. “And if there was a charity I wanted to donate more money to,” she explained, “he would say, ‘Write me a paragraph why, and you’ll get more.’ Of course I did that every time. It has always stuck with me—the interest in giving back.”

At 31, Aboodi, who lives in Queens, New York, is one of TPL’s younger supporters. She sits on the New York advisory board, a group that advocates for the organization and raises awareness about conservation and park projects. In addition to making monthly donations, she hosts events, including one to raise awareness about the QueensWay, an elevated trail planned for an abandoned railway in the borough.

“I’m not asking for TPL to put my name on a bench or a building. But I like to put my money toward things I care about. If I can give consistently—if I can have an impact and be reliable in that way—why wouldn’t I do that?”

Last year, for her wedding, she and her husband urged guests to forgo gifts and instead to donate to Trust for Public Land, as well as a charity that supports Jewish causes. The couple raised more than $7,000 for TPL.

“We live in an apartment, not a house, and we didn’t want big gifts from friends or people feeling the pressure to go crazy,” said Aboodi, who works for Deckers Brands as senior manager for sustainability, data, and materials optimization. “My husband was completely on board. For us, TPL was a given because we both love hiking and the outdoors, and we’ve done trash cleanups together on the QueensWay.”

Aboodi first learned about TPL when she worked in sustainability for Nike. Former TPL President and CEO, Diane Regas, spoke to employees after Nike pledged significant support to address equity in the outdoors by creating new green spaces and renovating schoolyards.

The talk inspired Aboodi to find out more about TPL. She reached out to the organization’s New York office and was soon visiting a classroom in the Bronx, in which a landscape architect was fine-tuning ideas from students for a new schoolyard. (Student input is critical to the designs.)

The experience was affirming. “They had the designs laid out, so the students could see the tangible impact of what they had chosen,” she recalled. “‘Okay, this is where the basketball court will go, this is where the track will go, this is what we want.’ They were paying attention, they were interested, they were engaged. Having that voice is so important for kids.”

In thinking about which organizations to support, Aboodi and her husband bring the same critical eye that helped her persuade her grandfather in middle school. “We are drawn to organizations that make a difference and do more than just put Band-Aids on issues,” she said. “TPL zooms out to look at things holistically. It’s really special and important that they are always walking the walk.”

Aboodi’s generous monthly donations are a show of ongoing support, a boost during a time of deep fiscal uncertainty in Washington. “I think it’s just a good habit,” she explained. “I’m not asking for TPL to put my name on a bench or a building. But I like to put my money toward things I care about. If I can give consistently—if I can have an impact and be reliable in that way—why wouldn’t I do that?”