Susan Bragg

Volunteer at Oak Knoll

As Susan Bragg walks the Oak Forest Loop around Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, she comments on how much visitors appreciate the property. “It’s nice that there always seem to be people here enjoying the sanctuary no matter what the time of day,” she says. “It’s a very meditative and reflective trail.” 

Bragg, who grew up in Attleboro, makes the most of her time traveling far and wide to enrich others. For four years she was an Outward Bound wilderness instructor, leading flat-water canoe excursions everywhere from the Everglades to the Hudson Valley; next she’s assigned to Morocco for the Peace Corps.

Last fall when Bragg found herself transitioning from one job to another with several months in between, she decided to help out in her hometown community while spending time with her parents. Deciding where to donate her time was easy. In fact, Bragg’s family has a legacy of supporting the organization; her parents, avid hikers, have long been Mass Audubon members.

“Mass Audubon is an environmentally minded organization,” she says, “and I like to be outdoors, so I called Oak Knoll.” Bragg was immediately enlisted as a volunteer  there and at sister sanctuary Attleboro Springs—clearing trails, putting up flyers, advertising activities, laying out bricks for garden paths, and helping out in any other way needed. 

While the future holds a much more exotic destination for Bragg, she never passes up the chance to contribute—even when she’s come back home.