UpDATE Oct 15, 2024
Dear Friends of Carly's Kids
Dear Friends of Carly’s Kids,
Thank you for continuing to support our mission of providing outdoor education opportunities for all students. Last year we were able to fund $25,348 worth of grants in Central Oregon and Northern California. These grants funded five Forest Kindergarten Programs, a first grade forest exploration program, a fifth grade Project snow field trip and a fifth grade dog sledding adventure. We also helped two first grade groups explore the High Desert Museum and a second grade group explored the Sunriver Nature Center. Second graders from Ensworth visited the John Day Fossil beds where they hunted for fossils and learned about the natural resources in that amazing area. We were able to help the 8th graders at Sky View Middle have an outdoor celebration day at Camp Tamarack. (They had to miss outdoor school due to Covid-19.) We also were able to help a dear friend of Carly’s start up an Outdoor school program at her school in Concord, California. Being retired meant I was able to participate in some of the above programs. I continue to be inspired by the passion of educators and what they will do for their students! We continue to explore new project ideas and encourage educators and community members to access our grant application on the Carly’s Kids webpage.
This year, so far we are set to fund seven Forest Kindergarten programs and provide additional funds so that they may hire extra staff to accompany them on their outings. We are also helping to send a second grade group to a local farm and garden center to learn about how plants grow. We decided as a board to send a donation of $3000 to Ecology Projects International, earmarked for the Carly Phillips Scholarship fund. EPI is the organization that Carly worked for in Montana, they provide opportunities for high school students to participate in environmental projects throughout the world. Carly’s scholarship fund enables kids without means, to participate in these incredible experiences. Again, thanks to the joys of retirement, I was able to participate in one of EPI’s fantastic programs at Pacuare Preserve in Costa Rica. It was a life changing experience and one I never will forget! I’m so proud that we can continue to help fund Carly’s Scholarship.
Your generous donations continue to honor Carly’s memory and to generate more acts of kindness. Our family continues to be touched and awed by the power of Carly’s legacy! You can donate by sending a check in the enclosed envelope or by going to www.carlyskids.org and using the Donate link. No administration costs are deducted from any donations. All donations are tax deductible as Carly’s Kids qualifies as a 501 (c) (3) not for profit organization.
Thank you for helping to keep Carly’s precious spirit alive and thriving in our community. She would be so overwhelmed by your love and generosity, as Kevin, Michelle, Kyle and I continue to be.
Sincerely,
Kevin and Sandy Phillips, Michelle and Kyle Watt
OUR MISSION
Studies have shown that more and more children are spending enormous amounts of time indoors playing video and computer games, and watching T.V.
This generation is so plugged into electronic devices that they are in danger of losing their connection to the natural world. There is a national movement to “leave no child inside” that focuses on getting more children into the woods, promoting a “green hour” each day, and reinstating Outdoor Education programs in our schools.
The children and nature movement is fueled by this fundamental idea; the child in nature is an endangered species, and the health of children and the health of the Earth are inseparable.” –Richard Louv. Richard Louv, the author of “Last Child in the Woods”, speaks to this condition and refers to it as nature-deficit disorder. He stresses that “unlike television, nature does not steal time; it amplifies it. Nature offers healing for a child living in a destructive family or neighborhood.” He also states that “nature inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualization and the
full use of the senses.”
Carly’s Kids believes that an Outdoor Education experience greatly benefits children and helps them reconnect with the outdoors. It is also a wonderful team building experience and an opportunity to learn about the environment. We are extremely thankful for all the friends and family of Carly, and countless community members that are helping to make our dreams, of providing children Outdoor Educational Experiences, a reality. Your generosity is boundless and the positive effects that this experience will have on children are limitless. Thank you for your support!
Carly's Kids is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to provide underprivileged children access to outdoor education opportunities.
In honor of our daughter and sister, Carly, and her life long passion of helping other people, especially the underprivileged, we decided to establish a non-profit organization called Carly’s Kids. The organization has been approved by the IRS and has been issued the following tax identification number 45-3961848.
