It's been a sweltering summer -- the heat index rising, the humidity unbearable at times, lawns looking like barren deserts. It wouldn't be summer in West Michigan without a visit to the beach, right?
Wrong! Some children have never been to the beach. They haven't had the opportunity to pier jump or build sandcastles or crash into Lake Michigan waves. And, they haven't had the experience of appreciating one of our state's grandest natural resources. That's why the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) has developed a program to bring urban school students to the beach.
"To The Lake" will bring an estimated 40 middle school students to PJ Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon on Thursday, Aug. 11. This will be the first trip to Lake Michigan for the vast majority of the students.
"Last year, only four in 40 kids in the program had ever seen Lake Michigan in person! We're trying to teach these kids to plant gardens, appreciate and conserve water and live sustainably," explains WMEAC Executive Director Rachel Hood. "Part of that is developing an appreciation for our state's natural resources. And to truly appreciate those resources, you have to experience them."
What a great experience it will be. Thank you to WMEAC for generously supporting this educational excursion to Lake Michigan as part of an effort to help connect Grand Rapids youth to Michigan's natural resources on a more personal level.
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Source: Dan Schoonmaker, West Michigan Environmental Action Council
Writer: Jennifer Wilson, Do Good Editor
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