I have the pleasure of being on several boards here in the community, but this organization and it's board are so active and involved in providing the best possible educational experience for our community that they really stand out. The Evanston Environmental Association works to ensure the resources and facilities are available for the staff and educators to keep producing the more than 70 camps and special events during the year.
The EEA is a results oriented non-profit organization consisting of a proactive hands-on board and an engaged membership. The EEA has provided outstanding support to the Evanston Ecology Center, a City of Evanston environmental education institution, for over 35 years through fund raising, volunteer efforts and programming involvement. In recent years, the EEA has entered into a partnership with the City of Evanston that has been instrumental in helping the Ecology Center achieve financial break-even status whereas historically the Center required significant City funding to sustain its operations. The Ecology Center has a wonderful staff of talented, committed individuals, and the EEA has undertaken numerous initiatives during its existence to aid that staff in providing the highest quality programming to Evanston and the surrounding communities. The EEA has been a very effective non-profit partner of the Evanston Ecology Center and is strongly committed to the continuation of its efforts on behalf of the Center going forward.
I'll never forget when my 3 1/2 year old came home from Wildflower Camp at the Ecology Center. He had so many stories to share of the animals he had seen or nature facts or cool crafts. Another son was amazed that he climbed "Mt. McKinley" (in actuality a little hill at Lovelace Park...but the "Great North" theme had him believing he was there!) The Evanston Environmental Association supports the work of the Environmental Educators at the Ecology Center. Through our support we hope that so many children in Evanston and the surrounding area will learn to love our natural world.