BAPS Charities Donates $100,000 to The Nature Conservancy

In a partnership to plant trees in local communities across North America, BAPS Charities presented The Nature Conservancy (TNC) with a donation of $100,000 raised entirely by a robust 17,000-person volunteer force. 70,000 trees will be planted as a result of this gift. TNC executives and program leadership arrived in Robbinsville, New Jersey, on September 10, 2016 to meet one of 53 teams from around the country who worked together to make the contribution possible.

BAPS Charities youth, Board members presented The Nature Conservancy’s Maria Fisher, Annual Giving & Stewardship Officer; John Stapleton, Legacy Club Donor Relations Manager; and Erin Daly, Donor Relations Manager (New Jersey) with the gift followed by a tree-planting ceremony to commemorate the 70,000 trees donated by BAPS Charities to The Nature Conservancy through Walk Green 2016.

BAPS Charities annually organizes a national walkathon in North America to both support and raise awareness of local and national community causes. In 2016, BAPS Charities introduced Walk Green 2016 in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy to get volunteers to walk in support of the environment.

The gift from BAPS Charities supports The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion initiative with a goal to plant one billion trees by 2025. “It means a lot to us that your support is made possible by the thousands of BAPS Charities volunteers who believe, like we do, that a healthy planet is critical to building healthy communities where both nature and people can thrive,” said Mark Tercek, President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. “BAPS Charities has shown that serving as good stewards of the planet is the collective responsibility that you take seriously. We also appreciate how you bring awareness to environmental issues and environmental opportunities on occasions like Earth Day and by supporting initiatives like planting trees, promoting water conservation and renewable energy sources.”

Speaking on the occasion, Erin Daly, Donor Relations Manager Thank you to BAPS Charities for your incredibly generous contribution to The Nature Conversancy’s plant a billion initiate in North America. I was especially inspired to see so many children and teenagers participating, not just in the walk but also in the opening ceremonies, and management of the walk. Engaging the next generation of stewards for our planet is extremely crucial and I am glad BAPS Charities shares that commitment.

John Stapleton, The Nature Conservancy’s Legacy Club Donor Relations Manager said, “The leadership, support and successful promotion of conversation through the BAPS Charities nationwide walkathons, has raised awareness and support for the restoration of forest in United States. I would like to command BAPS Charities and its unique civil mobilization that transcends nations, states and ages, harnesses a deep sense of volunteerism, and inspires and as well empowers us to step up the environmental challenges of our times. You are our true partner in conservation. Thank you.

Donations were gathered by over 17,000 walkers by walking over 52,000 collective miles in 53 locations around North America. Attendees spanned a myriad of ages. Children would often times inspire their parents to go out to raise money. They would reach out to all family members to gain sponsorships. Many families would compete with each other to see who could raise the most number of sponsorships. Youths across North America would reach out to local and national businesses to gain sponsorships for Walk Green 2016. In many locations even the elderly would reach out and gain sponsorships.

TNC staff joined BAPS Charities at 28 of the walk locations around the country to participate as walkers alongside BAPS Charities volunteers, and also provided regional and national updates of their work. Across all Walk Green 2016 events, The Nature Conservancy staff commended the strong support of young people interested in environmental preservation. Jane Miller, Deputy Director of Philanthropy at The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey commented after visiting the Walk Green 2016 in Robbinsville, “I am blown away that an all-volunteer organization can put together something that is this huge and does so much good and involve so many young people. I understand that BAPS Charities has helped in disaster relief after Sandy, also doing relief work globally not just locally, and they are visionaries in this kind of work. I want to say thank you to BAPS Charities and I also say that I have met the most delightful people here today and I hope we all become friends and keep up this relationship.”

In addition to the annual Walkathon, BAPS Charities actively supports environmental sustainability efforts throughout the year through recycling projects and utilizing solar power. In addition, BAPS Charities is involved with tree planting and water conservation efforts as well as promoting effective management practices in activities to ensure optimal and efficient energy consumption.