March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 49 F

Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, Chesapeake Bay Trust Support Living Classrooms Foundation And Their Outdoor Education Efforts

living classroom: releasing shad

Last week, the Chesapeake Bay Trust presented a $29,887 grant to Living Classrooms Foundation to support their environmental education programs at the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center, an urban nature center on the Patapsco River that serves the Brooklyn, Curtis Bay and Cherry Hill communities. The grant has been partially funded by a $10,000 donation from the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim. A Maryland 501(c)(3) charity, the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim has contributed more than $107,000 to the Chesapeake Bay Trust since 2005, for distribution through its grants program to promote education, restoration and community outreach.

Living Classrooms Foundation is a Baltimore-Washington based non-profit educational organization that provides hands-on education and job skills training for students from diverse backgrounds, with a special emphasis on serving at-risk youth. Through this project, more than 700 fourth and fifth grade students from Title 1 schools will gain an understanding of the Chesapeake Bay by learning about local pollution problems in Baltimore through a combination of in-school outreach programs and field experiences.

“We are so appreciative of this grant and the support from both the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Mr. Nabit of the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim,” said Living Classrooms President and CEO James Bond. “This funding will help us teach students how their actions affect the Chesapeake Bay while they learn the skills necessary to seek their own environmental solutions. Our efforts would not be possible without the support of our many partners like the Trust and the Swim and we are incredibly grateful.”

As founder and Race Director of the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, and Director of the Nabit Foundation, Charles J. Nabit is pleased to help advance the mission of Living Classrooms, an organization that he also supports through his partnership with Waterfront Kitchen. One of Baltimore’s newest fine dining venues, Waterfront Kitchen works with Living Classrooms through the BUGS (Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students) program, which teaches inner-city grade school children about gardening, good nutrition, applied academics and more. A percentage of the restaurant’s profits support the program and produce grown by the BUGS kids is served in the restaurant.

“I’m pleased to support the Trust and Living Classrooms in their endeavors to provide education, experience, and enjoyment of the extraordinary Chesapeake Bay.” said Mr. Nabit. “I personally believe in the importance of giving back and hope this work will help cultivate a new generation of Chesapeake Bay stewards.”

Since 1985, the Chesapeake Bay Trust has awarded more than $45 million in grants through Maryland and the broader Chesapeake Bay watershed. This grant was awarded as part of the Trust’s Environmental Education grant program, which seeks to expand K-12 environmental education programs and increase student access to outdoor learning experiences. In 2011, the Trust awarded nearly $1,000,000 to support environmental education and student development programs throughout Maryland.

“At the Chesapeake Bay Trust, we believe that education is a crucial component to solving the Chesapeake Bay’s complex restoration problem,” said Allen Hance, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “By teaching young people about the Bay and their impact on environment through programs like those at Masonville Cove, you are helping to change behavior and sustain the engagement necessary to drive change and make a difference in communities throughout Maryland.”

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