The Trust is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from REI, a popular retailer of outdoor clothing and equipment. The money will be used to help fund our Canal Pride Day events in 2015, currently scheduled for Great Falls, Williamsport, and the Paw Paw Tunnel.
The REI grant program is a prestigious one that requires an invitation to apply. The C&O Canal Trust received an invitation to apply for the grant this year, due to our multi-year partnership with the REI store in Rockville, MD.
The goals of REI’s grant program are to encourage the active conservation of nature, to inspire the responsible use and enjoyment of the outdoors, and to enhance the natural world and communities through responsible business practice. These goals dovetail nicely with the C&O Canal Trust’s mission as an organization, and for our Canal Pride Days program in particular.
Having just wrapped up its seventh year, the Canal Pride Days program focuses volunteer efforts on cleaning up the C&O Canal National Historical Park each spring. Typical activities include the maintenance of historic buildings, landscaping of grounds, mulching of picnic areas, maintenance of the mixed-use trail, the removal of invasive plant species, and more as the circumstances require.
Approximately 500 volunteers participate each year in Canal Pride Days events, either through a corporate volunteer day or through the public days. The grant from REI will allow the Trust to increase both the quantity and quality of clean-up events in the future, and we are grateful to be recognized by REI.
If you are interested in participating in a Canal Pride Day, be sure to join our email list so you will be notified of the dates for 2015 when they are scheduled. If you would like to schedule a Pride Day with your corporate group, contact Becky Curtis at [email protected] or 301-651-7578.
