National Park Trust Honored with an Inaugural Outdoors Alliance for Kids Leaf Award
Outdoors Alliance for Kids Announces Inaugural OAK Leaf Awards
NOVEMBER 15, 2016
For Immediate Release
November 15, 2016
Contact: Jackie Ostfeld, jackie.ostfeld@sierraclub.org, 202-548-6584
Washington, DC – Today, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) announced five recipients of the inaugural OAK Leaf Award which recognizes alliance members for their collaborative approach to support OAK’s policy or programmatic goals. REI, The North Face, National Park Trust, Children & Nature Network and the National League of Cities to receive the award during an OAK welcome reception for the annual gathering of the alliance, held at The Wilderness Society’s Ansel Adams Gallery.
Statements of OAK’s Lead Award Recipients
“At REI, we believe a life outdoors is a life well lived. This is an especially important thought when we consider the daily lives of our younger generations. Unlike years past, it seems we need to make special efforts to assure kids from all backgrounds have chances to explore, play and learn outside. We’ve been an OAK supporter from its beginning because OAK provides pivotal leadership at the national level. We appreciate the recognition, and also look forward to continuing our investment in high-impact programs like this one.”
Marc Berejka, REI’s director of community and government affairs
“We are proud to partner with OAK and many wonderful nonprofits like the National Park Trust to support President Obama’s Every Kid in a Park initiative through our Explore Fund grants. By working together to bring outdoor experiences to youth, we hope to create the next generation of environmental stewards. Thank you OAK for this incredible honor.”
Ann Krcik, The North Face Senior Director of Outdoor Exploration
“National Park Trust is very honored to be recognized with an inaugural OAK Leaf Award. The Outdoors Alliance for Kids is a tremendous resource and network that has allowed us to significantly expand our mission of preserving parks today and creating park stewards for tomorrow. Working together with the members of this alliance, we are able each year to engage tens of thousands of students from Title I schools across the country with our iconic parks and public lands, providing transformational park experiences. OAK is an excellent example of the power of partnerships.”
Grace Lee, Executive Director of the National Park Trust
“The OAK Leaf award recognizes the dedication of our seven Cities Connecting Children to Nature pilot cities in their work to enrich young lives, strengthen stewardship of our natural world and achieve equity in American cities,” said National League of Cities CEO and executive director Clarence E. Anthony. “NLC is proud to receive this award on their behalf and continue our significant work together.” The CCCN cities have been working diligently for the past year to plan equitable and abundant access to nature for their communities. “We look forward to seeing the impact of the cities’ work on children, families, and communities, and we are honored to partner with OAK in advancing the field of children and nature.”
Sarah Milligan-Toffler, Children & Nature Network Executive Director
“The Outdoors Alliance for Kids wouldn’t be what it is today without the passion of our members, new and old, large and small. These awards couldn’t be more well-deserved. I look forward to continuing to work with this year’s OAK Leaf Award recipients to make major strides in the movement to get kids outdoors.”
Jackie Ostfeld, OAK Co-Founder and Chair
About the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK): OAK is a national strategic partnership of organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in connecting children, youth and families with the outdoors. The members of OAK are brought together by the belief that the wellness of current and future generations, the health of our planet and communities and the economy of the future depend on humans having a personal, direct and life-long relationship with nature and the outdoors. OAK brings together more than eighty businesses and organizations, led by a steering committee which includes representatives from the Alliance for Childhood, American Heart Association, Children & Nature Network, Latino Outdoors, National Recreation and Park Association, National Wildlife Federation, NatureBridge, The North Face, Public Lands Service Coalition (a program of The Corps Network), REI, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society and the YMCA of the USA to address the growing divide between children, youth and the natural world. For more information: www.outdoorsallianceforkids.org
