By Megan Lindell, Marketing & Events Associate
Some truly blessed kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound are getting the opportunity of a lifetime. Through a gift by a couple of anonymous donors a select group of 21 Club members from Lakewood, Tacoma, Spanaway, and the West Sound are taking an all expenses paid journey to Yellowstone National Park August 15-19. In preparation for this exciting trip the Club members, who are all 5th graders, are going to have an orientation on April 8th at the Lakewood Boys & Girls Club to get to know one another and learn more about their upcoming expedition to Wyoming. Then, on Saturday April 9th they will all take a field trip to Northwest Trek.
Some special visitors, Yellowstone Association Instructors, will also be in attendance with the kids while they are visiting Northwest Trek. While on their adventure at the Trek the Club members will receive a guided tour of the park, a tram ride, and a walking tour through numerous nature trails that lead to animal exhibits. This is all being done in an effort to provide the kids with knowledge of the different types of animals that they will see while in Yellowstone. They will also have a great opportunity to learn about many of the native plants that grow in Washington as well as the predators’ native to our geography.
Through mini adventures such as this the staff and chaperones going to Yellowstone hope that the kids are prepared to see, hear, and experience all of the many wonderful aspects of wildlife, ecology, and geography that are soon to come. Last year a different group of Club members had the opportunity to embark on the Yellowstone adventure and it gave them a first hand view into the world of wildlife that many of them had never seen before, being that they had grown up in the city. This trip is truly one of a lifetime, not only will the new sights and sounds of wildlife be amazing, but for many Club members the trip to Yellowstone National Park will be their first ride on an airplane! Beth Wallace, Bremerton and North Mason Branch Director said, “Northwest Trek will give us a glimpse of the amazing wildlife that we will experience at Yellowstone National Park in August.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound benefits nearly 10,000 children and teens at nine branches and eight outreach sites in Pierce, Mason, and Kitsap Counties. The Clubs offer programs designed to enhance personal growth and education, tutoring, computer skills, delinquency prevention, the arts, sports training, league involvement, and much more. Through quality professional staff and a fun, positive environment, the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound assist thousands of kids in developing much needed life skills, self-esteem, and positive values. For more information on the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound, please call (253) 502-4600 or go online to www.bgcsps.org.