Congrats To Environmental Volunteers Named To Super Bowl 50 Fund

PHOTO: Courtesy of Environmental Volunteers on Facebook.

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PALO ALTO, CA — Environmental Volunteers, a provider of environmental science education programs in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, has been selected by the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee as one of nine bay area nonprofit organizations to receive a $200,000 grant to provide greater access for low-income students to connect to the environment and become better stewards of the natural world.

The 50 Fund, the legacy fund of the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, announced the recipients of $2 million in Game Changer grants. The Environmental Volunteers and three other grantees in the Sustainable Environments focus area also have the chance to receive a share of an additional $200,000 that will be decided by fans who pledge to participate in the Host Committee’s Play Your Part campaign to reward ‘net positive’ behavior (e.g. reducing energy consumption, recycling, etc.), the organization said.

The Environmental Volunteers’ $200,000 grant will support the organization’s Transportation Fund. Through the Transportation Fund, the Environmental Volunteers provides affordable, easy-to-schedule, efficient and safe transportation for low-income youth (K-12) in the San Francisco Bay Area that facilitates access to science and environmental education field trips.

The Game Changer grant will expand the Transportation Fund’s reach with an additional 340 buses, sending more than 13,000 more students on field trips.

Christine Thalls, Education Programs Manager at the Environmental Volunteers, serves as project manager of the Transportation Fund.

“After working with many low-income schools, I have come to realize how difficult transportation can be for teachers and their students,” Thalls said. “Without the Transportation Fund, many field trips wouldn’t happen due to lack of funding. With this grant, so many more students will be able to visit tidepools for the first time; travel on a research boat on the bay, and visit local farms to learn about sustainable agriculture.”

Related: New Year, New You? Become An ‘Environmental Volunteer’ In Local Schools, Eco-Center, On Field Trips

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