Your gift makes a world of difference...
Dear friends,
We greatly appreciate all that you do to help get more kids outside and connected with nature. As parents, donors, teachers and volunteers, you are helping to turn the tide at a pivotal time for our children….
…Entertainment media is dominating our children’s lives.
In a typical day, children ages 8 to 18 spend on average more than 7 hours in front of entertainment media — an estimated 53 hours per week. Wow! During that week, only 6 percent of children ages 9 to 13 play outside on their own. I was stunned when I read these statistics. Do kids even sleep anymore?
This rise in media use and decline in outdoor play has coincided with steep increases in childhood obesity, anxiety, depression and ADHD. Yet, studies demonstrate that being outside helps children grow lean and strong, increases creativity and attention spans, decreases aggression, and improves academic achievement — all of which set them up for successful transitions into adulthood. In addition, children who spend time in nature regularly are shown to become better stewards of the environment.
We believe a vibrant connection with nature is essential to balance our high-tech lives, and to foster health, growth and wellbeing.
Wilderness Awareness School is continuing to restore the balance. This year we plan to greatly increase the number of kids reached through our programs. And we need your continued support to make that happen.
Our spring Get Outside campaign goal is to raise $45,000 to increase the number of kids reached by our programs this summer by 33 percent — serving 1,700 children! Please give generously to help get more kids outside.
Can we rival the allure of entertainment media? Our campers say yes!
“I think Marina’s grin from ear to ear on her mud-covered face
when I picked her up the first day answers this one.”
First and foremost, our Nature Connection programs succeed because they are engaging and fun, using universal child passions as a gateway for learning and relating to nature. Mud-smeared faces, sneaking, imitating animals, eating plants, constructing shelters, telling stories, making fires with friction, and exploring the mysteries of bird language, animal tracks and slug trails, are all a part of a typical day at one of our programs. We go on intriguing adventures outside, and playfully engage the sense of wonder and curiosity about nature (even in city environments) that is innate in all of us.
“Just what kids need (we all need). Time to explore and experiment.
Great counselors who are thoughtful and knowledgeable.
Trained to let kids think for themselves. We love this camp!”
Kids return home, inspired to spend more time outside and less time plugged in.
“She learned more about plants and it has triggered a huge response at home.
She has been gathering plants to dry for the last 2 days.
I only hope that someday it could be full-time school.”
Ingwe, our co-founder, had a dream that kids of all ages would have the opportunity to develop a strong connection to the natural world. In his honor, half of the proceeds of our spring Get Outside campaign will go to the Ingwe Memorial Scholarship Fund.
We need your generous support to reach 1,700 children this summer and to help bring Ingwe’s dream to life.
With gratitude,
Warren Moon
Executive Director
P.S. Please send in your donation by June 1st, the deadline for us to notify this year’s Ingwe Memorial Scholarship Fund recipients.
P.P.S. Grow your Gift? Join us on May 2nd for GiveBIG, The Seattle Foundation’s one-day event where all gifts will be Stretch Matched! See below for more.
“My children came home every day with positive attitudes and a
happy soul and spirit! They were always full of new information to share
of what they learned or experienced.”
Grow your Gift through giveBIG!
What a difference a day makes...
- giveBIG — Join us for a community-wide online day of sharing, hosted by The Seattle Foundation
- ONE DAY ONLY! — online, May 2nd, midnight to midnight (Pacific Time)
- Donations must be online — Contribute with your credit or debit card to qualify for the Match
- Stretch your donation — The more money we raise online that day, the more of the Stretch Match we earn
- Chance to boost your donation an additional $1000! — Golden Tickets will be awarded randomly, during this 24 hours, allowing a donation of any size to WinBIG!
Donate to Wilderness Awareness School on The Seattle Foundation’s website on May 2nd for giveBIG!
ALL DONATIONS ARE 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE
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Wilderness Awareness School is a division of The Awareness Society, a not-for-profit organization, recognized as Federal Tax Exempt Organization under IRS code section 501(c)(3). Tax ID # 22-3190778.
