Preserving a Quaker life and legacy

Margaret Carne has received many gifts in her life. Her pacifist father’s shining example of living out his Quaker values, her safe evacuation by Quakers during World War II, and the welcome she has received at every Quaker Meeting are chief among them.

Margaret and her brother enjoyed a peaceful childhood in Cornwall in the United Kingdom until September 1939. That’s when the UK declared war on Germany, following Germany’s invasion of Poland. They soon found themselves taking cover in outdoor bomb shelters and carrying gas masks to school.

For their safety, the children were sent to live with their grandmother in New Jersey when Margaret was just 7 years old.

“We went under the auspices of the Friends Service Council, the British counterpart of the American Friends Service Committee,” Margaret explains.

“I’ll never forget our voyage across the sea on the Antonia, or the welcome we received upon arriving.”

The children were able to return to the UK in 1944, but Margaret eventually resettled in New Jersey, where she married and raised two sons. She attended college at 41 and enjoyed a long career in social work until her recent retirement.

“My father’s service to others so impacted me,” Margaret says, “as did the help we received as children to find safety here.” These gifts led her to become a volunteer with AFSC’s immigration and prison programs in Newark, NJ. As an immigrant, she knows how important it is to be welcoming to newcomers.

Margaret’s ultimate gift is to give back by including AFSC in her estate plan. “I know AFSC will use my gift in ways that fit my belief system. They do in spades what I have only been able to do in little bits.”

Help Craft a Better World

Including AFSC in your estate plan lets you contribute to the critical work of peace, justice, and community building, even beyond your lifetime. Learn more by contacting Alyssa Chatten at 888-588-2372 or GiftPlanning@afsc.org.