All News Releases By Date

EPA Grant Supports Germantown Summer Children’s Camp

Release Date: 8/4/1999
Contact Information: Donna M. Heron (215) 814-5113

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Face to Face, a non-profit organization, has been awarded a $5,000 environmental education grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a four-week summer program for disadvantaged youth in Germantown.

Approximately 60 neighborhood children, ages 5 to 12, will get hands-on learning in the basics of biology, chemistry, physics and environmental science when they attend Camp St. Vincent.

The environmental education grant will be used to create a pond ecosystem and a butterfly garden habitat. The pond will be stocked with native aquatic vegetation, fish, frogs and invertebrates. The butterfly garden will contain native flora and teach lessons on soil, pollination and the importance of maintaining and restoring habitats.

The goal of the summer camp is to make science accessible, interesting and challenging for the students and activities will encourage the development of problem-solving skills and group decision-making.

"It’s important to present programs like this for children so they can begin to understand local and global environmental concerns. And introducing science to children at a young age can open up a world of opportunities for the future," said W. Michael McCabe, EPA’s regional administrator for the mid-Atlantic region.

EPA’s education grant program is designed to stimulate grass-roots environmental education. In the mid-Atlantic region, 25 grant recipients include schools, civic groups and non-profit organizations. Nationally, $3 million was awarded in 1999.

For more information on this grant, contact Janice Lewis at 215-814-2185. EPA’s Regional Internet Home Page also has general information on the grants: https://www.epa.gov/region03.


#


99-360