Evergreen Ball Reaches New Heights - Friends of the Smokies

Post Office Box 5650
Sevierville, Tennessee
37864-5650
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New Look for Friends’ Website
www.friendsofthesmokies.org
Our website now has a whole
new look, so if you haven’t visited
in a while, please go online to
www.friendsofthesmokies.org
and check it out. You’ll find
information about our history, our
current projects, news releases,
links to partner organizations,
information on memberships and
planned giving, and much, much
more. You can also use our website
to make a secure online donation.
It’s a great way to learn more
about our organization and the
great work you make possible!
National Park Foundation Gives a Boost to Junior Rangers
The National Park Foundation has awarded a matching grant of $7,500 to Friends
of the Smokies to improve and expand the park’s Junior Ranger Program.
Funding for this matching grant was made possible through the generous support
of the Unilever Company, a Proud Partner of America’s National Parks and a National
Corporate Partner of the Junior Ranger program. The Alcoa Foundation, the Great
Smoky Mountains Association, and the National Park Service are providing matching
funds and other support, resulting in a combined effort worth more than $28,000.
To earn a Junior Ranger badge, a child must attend a ranger-led program and complete
an activity booklet addressing everything from animal tracks and tree leaves to
learning about a day in the life of a ranger. Every year, the park bestows Junior Ranger
honors on children from all across the country – from as close as Tennessee and North
Carolina to as far away as Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii. All in all, the program serves
approximately 4,500 children annually.
The matching grant from the National Park Foundation will help the Smokies’ Junior
Ranger Program reach more children more effectively. These changes include creating
new booklets and activities that are more age-appropriate; developing new and improved
ranger-led programs; and encouraging and recognizing more advanced involvement for
local children, extended-stay visitors, and repeat visitors who have the time and interest
to expand their basic Junior Ranger training.
“The Junior Ranger program provides a wonderful opportunity for children and families
to spend time together learning about the natural and cultural resources of their
national parks,” said Dale Ditmanson, Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains
National Park. “We are very thankful that our donors and partners have teamed up with
our resource education rangers to make this great program even better.”
To participate in the Junior Ranger program, stop by any park visitor center to learn
about available ranger-led programs and to pick up a Junior Ranger activity booklet.
© Don McGowan
Thanks to new grant funds, the park will improve its
Junior Ranger program, including new activity
booklets and ranger-led outings. Partners in this
effort include the Great Smoky Mountains
Association, the National Park Foundation, and
Unilever, a National Corporate Partner of the Junior
Ranger program.
8
the Newsletter of Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Vol 11. No 1