Grant from The North Face will benefit Basin kids this winter
Clothing company’s Explore Fund grant to help Wildsight deliver field trips
The North Face, a well-known outdoor clothing company, recently awarded a $2,500 grant to Wildsight to help children explore the outdoors.
Wildsight was selected from hundreds of applicants because its Education in the Wild field trips help children and youth learn about ecosystems in a unique and engaging way.
So far in 2011, The North Face has awarded $125,000 Explore Fund grants to 52 projects, helping more than 30,000 kids to connect to nature.
“We’re thrilled to include the North Face on our funder team,” said Monica Nissen, Wildsight’s Education in the Wild program manager. “The company’s products enable people to explore wild places—and so do our educational programs. This grant will go toward Winter Wonder field trips.”
Education in the Wild was established to provide environmental education to students in the Columbia Basin. Wildsight has developed curricula that meets B.C. Ministry of Education learning outcomes for science in each grade level, from Kindergarten to Grade 7.
Since 2000, Wildsight has taken more than 35,000 students on field trips to grasslands, wetlands, forests and into school yards to learn about ecology.
“First-hand experience is essential to ignite a passion for the outdoors, and that shouldn’t be limited by gender, race or income level,” said Ann Krcik, director of outdoor participation at The North Face. “At The North Face, we’re dedicated to providing everyone with the access to our natural playgrounds and the resources they need to get outside.”
Wildsight’s Winter Wonder will launch in December. Teachers in the Columbia Basin are welcome to book a field trip for their students in Kindergarten to Grade 3.
To book a Winter Wonder field trip, call 250-427-9325 or visit www.Wildsight.ca.
To learn more about other Explore Fund grantees visit www.PlanetExplore.com.
“Thanks to The North Face, more students will be able to discover the awe of winter and why it is so important for our local ecosystems in the Columbia Basin,” Nissen said.
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About Wildsight • www.Wildsight.ca
Wildsight works locally,
regionally and globally to protect biodiversity and encourage sustainable
communities in Canada's Columbia and southern Rocky Mountain region.
This area is internationally recognized as a keystone to conservation in
western North America.
Contact:
Monica Nissen, Education in the
Wild program manager
(250) 352-6346 • Monica@Wildsight.ca
Jessica Starkey, Marketing Coordintaor, The North Face Canada
(514) 832-0040 x271 • Jessica_starkey@vfc.com
About The North Face Explore Fund
The North Face® Explore FundTM is a grant program committed to supporting non-profit, community organizations that break down the barriers preventing children and families from experiencing the outdoors. The Explore Fund, administered by The Outdoor Foundation, finds, engages and provides funding for new partners that help further the mission of inspiring the next generation of explorers and conservationists by helping them discover nature's playground.
About PlanetExplore
PlanetExplore is an online community founded by The North Face, powered by partner organizations that share a passion for the outdoors, and designed to help individuals and families learn about and participate in outdoor activities and events in their area. PlanetExplore is a portal to the outdoors designed to inspire and enable people of all ages to become regularly active outside, and to enjoy the benefits gained through a connection to nature.
For more information, please visit our website:
The Explore Fund www.explorefund.ca
