Good News Updates: April 2023
Yes, it has been a while! It is crazy how fast the time has flown when so much is going on.
Here are a few highlights over the last few months:
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATES
In January we received news that we were selected to receive a Boulder County Worthy Cause grant of $250,000 toward the child care component of the new nature center. This in combination with capital campaign pledges made from several generous donors has brought our campaign to over $6M!
With a generous grant from the Colorado Health Foundation, Wild Bear has the opportunity to engage in a thorough and thoughtful research process to determine how the outdoor playscape will take form at our new nature center. Our goal is to design a playscape that is welcoming, accessible, and enjoyable for all children and families that will visit our site. To reach this goal, we will soon be hosting focus groups and events to build relationships and learn from our BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and community members who have a range of physical and developmental abilities. We look forward to transforming the desires and needs that are shared with us into an all inclusive plan for our new outdoor playscape!
This summer we will host “Hard Hat” tours to share the progress on the construction of the building. We invite you to join us and bring a friend or two who would be interested! See this link to sign up!
BUILDING UPDATE
Last January we received all of our permits to build the nature center and are working with subcontractors to receive bids and refine our budget goal.
There has been a lot of work behind the scenes to solidify our building team and collect bids for the project. We will be putting in the foundation with High Performance Earthworks and framing all summer long! We look forward to sharing the progress! When you attend a Hard Hat tour you will see the progress firsthand!
The Wild Bear Nature Center organization continues to grow and thrive!
We enjoyed a great winter season bringing children out on snowshoes with climate scientists to learn about snow science and winter ecology. We are now gearing up for a record summer of children out in the forest discovering, learning, playing and laughing together! Our staff is geared up to deliver the most exceptional summer ever.
We have developed a robust menu of programs for Adults this summer! Click on the link below to learn more & join us!
We completed a productive process to thoughtfully develop our 3 year strategic plan. Our board and staff will be meeting in July to fine tune the plan for the next two years.
Finally, we are so grateful for the record end of year giving which far exceeded our goals! This support has created increased opportunities for children and families through scholarships to our nature camps. Nature heals and all children should have the opportunity to get outside with support of our very experienced and energetic staff.
Thank you all for all of your great support. I look forward to seeing you soon!
If you’d like to chat, please do reach out. My cell is 303-588-0299 and email jill@wildbear.org.