Riveredge Nature Center seeks to raise $6,000 to access $50,000 through A Community Thrives

Each year, hundreds of inner city students participate in the River Connection Program, an initiative between the Urban Ecology Center and Riveredge to give 5th grade children the hands-on experience and exploration of both the urban and rural aspects of the Milwaukee River.

Riveredge Nature Center is participating in A Community Thrives, a program through the USA Today Network that allows communities across the country to share their ideas for improvement and earn the chance to receive a portion of the $2,000,000 in grants to make their idea a reality.  If Riveredge succeeds in fundraising $6,000 between now and April 12, the organization has the possibility of being awarded $50,000 through A Community Thrives for The River Connection Program.

The River Connection Program was established in 1998 to provide socioeconomically disadvantaged children access to environmental educational experiences that would likely be unavailable to them otherwise. The River Connection Program is a collaborative undertaking of two well-respected environmental education organizations within the Greater Milwaukee area: Riveredge Nature Center and The Urban Ecology Center. This collaboration optimizes the opportunity for students to compare and contrast the rural Milwaukee River location of Riveredge Nature Center and the urban Milwaukee River location of the Urban Ecology Center (UEC).

Exposure to both nature centers provides a broad portrait of Wisconsin’s natural landscape, illuminating the rural (Riveredge) and the urban (UEC). This diversity in exposure is critical, in both enhancing the learning experience through comparison and opening new doors to nature that students may not have considered before. 

"The River Connection Program is important on so many fronts," explained Jessica Jens, the Executive Director of Riveredge.  "Through this program, children have the opportunity to compare a variety urban and rural environments, observe what is different and what they have in common, and then explore how those differences affect the health of our waterways. It’s critical that students take part in learning experiences outside of textbooks, and through The River Connection Program, we welcome children from all over the region to learn and care about the ecosystems we all share." 

To donate, go to the Riveredge A Community Thrives page at this link: 
https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/riveredge-nature-center-wisconsin