Google has donated $165,000 to send about 1,700 children to national parks around the country as a part of the National Park Foundation’s efforts to get more kids into the parks. The donation was made to the National Park Foundation’s Open OutDoors for Kids program, which supports the National Park Service’s Every Kid In A Park initiative, allowing every fourth grader in the country to get a pass for free entry to National Park Service lands for a year. Because many of those children don’t necessarily have easy transportation to get to those parks, Google’s donation will help them get to some of the most famous parks/recreation areas, including:
Yosemite National Park, California: Approximately 400 students will attend multi-day NatureBridge environmental science programs.
Golden Gate National Recreational Area, California; Olympic National Park, Washington; and Prince William Forest Park, Virginia: Approximately 200 students will enjoy multi-day experiences at each park.
Southern California: In partnership with NatureBridge, the grant will enable approximately 150 students to visit Southern California national parks.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio: Funding will be combined with Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley support for approximately 250 students to attend All the Rivers Run, a STEM-based residential learning program at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming: Some 100-200 students will attend Teton Science Schools programming late 2016/early 2017. Efforts will be made to connect an entire grade from the Idaho public school system with the park through multi-day environmental science programming.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina & Tennessee: Some 150 students will attend Tremont Institute outdoor education programming, providing personal, local, and relevant programming that allow youth to live and learn inside the park.
Information courtesy of a DOI press release.
