Student Transportation Grant Program
Frequent visitors to the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and members of the Friends of the Wild Flower Garden recognize the many benefits the Garden provides for us. Those benefits such as beauty, peace and the ability to learn about nature and the outdoors are available to all who visit the Garden. However, not all have the ability and means to come to the Garden.
You have a chance to help. The Friends of the Wildflower Garden is funding a project that makes it possible for a number of young Minneapolis area school children, primarily grades K - 6, to come to the Garden for a learning experience and for a rare opportunity to experience the natural world. Many of these children may never have that experience as they simply do not have the funds to make a school trip. These school class visits, of up to 30 students each, are arranged by the teacher and a naturalist at the Garden.
Student groups will visit again next summer!
Help fund the program!
The Student Transportation Grant Program consists of providing a subsidy to a selected class of students who are unable to pay any or all of the cost of transportation for the class visit. For a class visit there is a fee per child for the naturalist led tour plus the cost of the school bus for transportation. Bus costs are now around $300 for a class from Minneapolis Schools. The Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) has a separate subsidy program for the Naturalist fees.
You can help enhance this project by providing your tax deductible contribution.
We paid $3,300 in 2023 to bring 12 groups to the Wildflower Garden. Since the inception of this program in 2009 over 5,400 students have been able to tour the Garden with class transportation subsidized. The Friends have provided over $22,800 in funding for this program.
If you can, please support this program by making a donation. All donations will be acknowledged by email or return letter and in The Fringed Gentian™.
To donate on-line with credit card You will be transferred to our secure payment processor, which is PayPal, where you may chose your method of payment. You do not need to be a member of PayPal to do this, nor will PayPal retain any of your information. There is an option on the page to pay via credit card, debit card, or PayPal. You may also opt to make monthly payments. It may take several seconds for the PayPal site to load. When you have made payment you will be returned to The Friends web site. You must have an email address to use this process.
Note: If you allow PayPal to give us your address, we will send a written thank-you note acknowledging your contribution. All donors are recognized in our newsletter - by name only.
Questions? -e-mail us -or phone Friends' treasurer directly at 952-322-7369.
Illustrated article on what happens on a visit.