GGO Newsletter | December 2022 | gatewayoutdoors.org

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GGO needs your support to continue delivering STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) and environmentally-focused programming to students attending Title I schools in St. Louis and Chicago! Donate to our end-of-the-year fundraiser to help! The next $1000 donated will be matched by the Simon-Cupkovic Charitable Fund, so double your impact and donate today! Thank you to the Simon-Cupkovic Charitable Fund and thank you all for donating!

Our goal for the giving season is to raise $15,000!!! We are 33% there, which means we have raised $4,955! We still need to raise $10,045 to reach our goal! Donate S'more to spark a passion for nature in students! Ways to Donate to GGO: Through our Facebook Campaign! Click Here! Through our Website! Click Here! Through Snail Mail! You can mail us your contribution at 3650 N. Magnolia Ave., Chicago, IL 60613 Every dollar donated will be used to fund GGO's programming! Remember to share this fundraiser with your family and friends! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!

Donate Here!

Examples of Adventures YOU Can Fund! November Highlights

St. Louis Students Visit Lone Elk Park and World Bird Sanctuary!

St. Louis students laced up their hiking boots and hit the trails at Lone Elk Park! Students spotted elk and bison from the trail while discussing the importance of species and wilderness conservation. We ended the day with a visit to the World Bird Sanctuary where students saw eagles, hawks, and more!

Chicago Students Visit the Chicago Botanic Gardens!

Chicago students enjoyed lessons about carnivorous plants and aquaculture, planted marigolds, visited the fall outdoor gardens, and strolled through the greenhouses at the Chicago Botanic Gardens!

St. Louis Students Dissect Owl Pellets!

St. Louis students dissected owl pellets to learn about the intricate relationship between predator and prey in nature. They had so much fun learning how to work with animal matter and how to identify an animal from its remains!

Chicago Students Engineer Bug Mouths!

Students in Chicago learned about the Hemiptera species of bugs, which are known for their piercing and/or sucking mouthparts. The students then engineered their own functioning recreations of Hemiptera mouthparts in teams and used them to eat Jello, and some brave students even tried dried crickets!

Want to do More? Come Work with Us!

Gateway to the Great Outdoors is currently hiring for the following positions:  St. Louis: External Partnerships & Development Coordinator VISTA Internal Partnerships & Development Coordinator VISTA This is an amazing opportunity to spend a year exploring the nonprofit world, especially for recent college grads! You can apply and find out more by visiting the GGO website.

Thank You for a Fantastic Giving Tuesday!

Gateway to the Great Outdoors wants to thank you all for a fantastic Giving Tuesday! GGO raised over $4000 in 24 hours because of you! Every penny raised will go toward providing STEAM education to students in Chicago and St. Louis, inspiring the next generation of environmental scientists!  Thank you Liquid Death Water for supporting GGO’s adventures! GGO’s students love how cool they feel when they drink Liquid Death, and GGO loves its infinite recyclability and how it encourages students to stay hydrated! Thanks again, Liquid Death, for helping GGO’s students stay healthy, hydrated, and curious!

Mentor of the Month!

Meet Kajol Tanesh Shah! She is doing a Master's in Artificial Intelligence with the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. This is her second year as a GGO mentor! Her favorite GGO memories are creating 3D hiking trail models and making paint brushes out of nature elements. Some of the many things she likes about working with GGO include teaching lessons to the students and working with them on different creative activities that get her into a nostalgic mood! Being a mentor has also helped her to understand students' perspectives and prompts her to explore and learn about new things. Her favorite outdoor activity is cycling and being in nature!

Thank You for Your Support!

Don't Forget: GGO's end-of-the-year fundraiser is happening right now! Double your impact with the Simon-Cupkovic Charitable Fund, and help us raise $10,045 more before the end of the year by Donating S'more today!

Click Here to Donate!

GGO Newsletter | December 2022 | gatewayoutdoors.org

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