NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thanks to a generous $300,000 grant from Alcoa Foundation, seven camps in SeriousFun Children's Network will be able to hire college students to help develop environmental programming for campers and increase the long-term ecological sustainability of camps in three countries. The Good and Green Fellows initiative has been successfully implemented for the last three years at Flying Horse Farms, the SeriousFun Camp in Mt. Gilead, Ohio. The new funding will expand the initiative to six additional camps in the Network. In all, 105 college students, who are studying ecology or environmental sciences, or who have experience with sustainability and nature programs will be recruited this summer in Europe and the U.S.
"We are so grateful to Alcoa Foundation for its support of SeriousFun camps through this environmental initiative, said Ingrid Milne, CFO, SeriousFun Children's Network. "Through this grant, we will be able to provide important leadership development experiences to promising college students, as well as support the personal growth of our campers and the long-term sustainability efforts of camp operations across the world."
"The success of the Alcoa Good and Green Fellowship initiative at Flying Horse Farms over the past three years is truly inspiring, and we are excited to support the program's expansion into additional camps in 2014," said Esra Ozer, President, Alcoa Foundation. "SeriousFun camps are very special places that profoundly impact the lives of the campers and their families. The Alcoa Fellows have demonstrated remarkable leadership, creativity, innovation and enthusiasm during their time at camp, and we expect the next group of Fellows will display similar passion as they help establish environmental and sustainability learning opportunities for the children."
In addition to regular camp duties as cabin counselors, each Alcoa Fellow will take on a leadership role as they develop and implement nature-related programming for the campers. Not only will these programs add to the camper experience, but they will also help ensure the sustainability of the camp and its operations. Projects may include: developing innovative approaches to recycling and repurposing used materials; improving sustainable operations and decreasing waste at the camp; and fully utilizing the natural environment, including nature trails and outpost camping.
Fellows will be responsible for sharing the projects and findings with camp leaders, as well as with campers through some type of creative experience, lesson or display.
SeriousFun camps receiving a portion of this funding to implement the program include: Flying Horse Farms, Ohio; The Painted Turtle, Calif.; Camp Korey, Wash.; Double H Ranch, N.Y.; The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Conn.; Bátor Tábor, Hungary; and Over The Wall, United Kingdom.
Students that are interested in applying for an Alcoa Good and Green Fellowship should visit www.seriousfunnetwork.org. They can also visit the web site of the participating camp in the community nearest to them.
About SeriousFun Children's Network
SeriousFun Children's Network is a growing global community of 30 camps and programs serving children with serious illnesses and their families, always free of charge. Founded by Paul Newman in 1988, SeriousFun has served over 400,000 children and families from more than 50 countries. Each member camp is an independent, not-for-profit organization dependent upon private funding to serve all children at no cost to their families. A Support Center raises funds and provides central standards and services for all SeriousFun camps and programs. To learn more about SeriousFun, visit www.seriousfunnetwork.org.
About Alcoa Foundation
Alcoa Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S., with assets of approximately $470million. Founded 62 years ago, Alcoa Foundation has invested more than $590 million. In 2013, Alcoa Foundation contributed more than $22 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the world, building innovative partnerships to improve the environment and educate tomorrow's leaders for careers in manufacturing and engineering. The work of Alcoa Foundation is further enhanced by Alcoa's thousands of employee volunteers who share their talents and time to make a difference in the communities where Alcoa operates. Through the Company's signature Month of Service program, in 2013, a record 62 percent of Alcoa employees took part in nearly 1,300 events across 24 countries, benefiting more than 505,000 people and 1,900 nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit www.alcoafoundation.com and follow @AlcoaFoundation on Twitter.