(Paddling Blue Mountain Lake, NY, photo A. Stock)
I’ve been receiving a number of emails from some of my favorite environmental groups reminding me there is still time to make a donation and receive the tax benefit. So, I thought I would pass along links to some of the groups whose work I follow, support, appreciate (or admittedly, employ me :)
Though economic times are tough, now more than ever, every dollar counts for non-profits.
One of my favorite groups which reaches far back to my childhood is the Fresh Air Fund, www.freshairfund.org. I have fond memories of ‘fresh air fund’ kids coming to Gloversville, where I grew up in upstate NY, staying with various friend’s families. As someone who was raised in a predominantly white, middle-class (at the time) community, these kids from the city raised my curiosity.
I remember asking my mother once if we could have a ‘fresh air kid’ sometime. She balked. She had seven of her own kids to feed and take care of each summer, plus a husband and father-in-law, all on one income. Still, we all agreed it was a worthwhile idea, this group which brought city kids up to the country.
I still recall talking with one of the kids about his experience in Gloversville and him saying he’d never been out of the city. Most of the kids were of similar upbringing - had never spent any time out of the city, so a day in the country and swimming at a lake was truly a first-time experience for them.
Somewhere in me, I knew I felt grateful for having grown up with the natural world as my playground. To this day, as a teacher of environmental studies, I find learning about the environment and creating an ethic of appreciation for it, is best done through direct experience with nature.
I’ve since had adult students who also grew up in the city. Most have some love for nature and animals, but also, most of what they know is through TV. When teaching at Bryant and Stratton College, I always made a point to take my students on a field trip to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. One woman, six-months pregnant and who remained mostly silent the entire field trip, told me after, ‘Ms Stock, this was the best experience I’ve ever had.’
That’s why this year, I’m supporting the Fresh Air Fund.
I hope you too will make a donation to your favorite charity, whether environmental or other.
Have a safe and happy New Year!
Amy
Below is a list of some of the nonprofits who are doing important work in the Saratoga-Capital Region, Hudson Valley, and beyond. Most have links to donate online. So, take a moment and consider donating today.
(Students from Troy High School sell produce they've grown as part of Capital District Community Gardens Produce Project, an urban-farm based entrepreneurial job training program for at-risk youth in Troy, photo courtesy CDCG)
Capital District Community Gardens, www.cdcg.org
Saratoga P.L.A.N., http://www.saratogaplan.org/
Agricultural Stewardship Association, http://www.asa.org/
American Farmland Trust, http://www.aft.org/
Northeast Land Trust Alliance, http://www.northeastlta.org/
Regional Farm and Food Project, http://http//www.facebook.com/pages/Regional-Farm-and-Food-Project/124251794716Sustainable Saratoga, http://www.sustainablesaratoga.com/
The WILD Center, http://www.wildcenter.org/
Ashokan Nature Center, http://www.ashokancenter.org/
Kingston Land Trust, http://www.kingstonlandtrust.org/
Woodstock Land Conservancy, http://www.woodstocklandconservancy.org/
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, http://www.clearwater.org/
Scenic Hudson, http://www.scenichudson.org/
National Audubon Society, http://www.audubon.org/
Conservation International, http://www.conservation.org/
Northeast Permaculture Institute, http://www.thepine.org/
The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, http://www.ecostudies.org/
Sustainable Hudson Valley, sustainhv.org
Lake George Land Conservancy, http://www.lglc.org/
Children & Nature Network, http://www.childrenandnature.org/
Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park, http://www.wiltonpreserve.org/
Parks & Trail NY, http://www.ptny.org/
Sustainable South Sound, http://www.sustainablesouthsound.org/
The Resiience Hub, http://www.theresiliencehub.org/
Fresh Air Fund, http://www.freshairfund.org/
(North end of Lake George, NY, photo, A. Stock)
No comments:
Post a Comment