Starbucks Greener Apron grant helps students experience outdoor education programs
OTTAWA AND WESTPORT AREA, January 29, 2020 – The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF) is pleased to have received a $4,567 Greener Apron Grant through the Starbucks Foundation.
To help students access our outdoor education programs at Baxter and Foley Mountain Conservation Areas the Greener Apron Grant covers bus fees through the RVCF.
Starbucks Greener Apron is a community of passionate employees who are committed to serving the planet. From promoting environmentally conscious best practices in stores, to nominating local non-profits to apply for grant funding, Greener Apron partners are sustainability champions making a difference in their stores and communities, every day.
“Thanks to Starbucks employee Denise Pagliaro of Manotick for nominating us for this program,” says Diane Downey, Executive Director of RVCF, “we are delighted to welcome another exceptional partner in our campaign to make outdoor education programs accessible to all.”
“Our children have so many beautiful memories thanks to the Rideau Valley Conversation Foundation – it was my pleasure to nominate them,” notes Denise.
The Greener Apron grant will cover transportation costs for 1200 children; that’s 20 school buses with two classes of thirty students each.
The programs are run by the RVCA certified outdoor education teachers at Baxter and Foley Mountain conservation areas. They welcome more than 10,000 elementary and secondary school students to their curriculum-based programs every year for hands-on experiences in nature, from catching frogs to snowshoeing.
There’s a growing body of evidence that learning through outdoor active play has positive effects on a child's physical, emotional, and intellectual health. More and more, children suffer from “nature deficit disorder” – a lack of connection with the natural world.
With support from the Greener Apron grant and other donors, the RVCA is fostering a new generation of confident explorers, nature-lovers and environmental stewards.
For more information about the RVCA’s educational programs, visit www.rvca.ca/outdoor-education. To support the Foundation’s conservation efforts, visit www.rvcf.ca.
