Canadian Children’s Environmental Educator Wins National Award
Feb 8, 2012 – VANCOUVER, BC – Andrea Koehle Jones has been honoured with the Canadian Camping Association’s Award of Excellence for her efforts to promote environmental stewardship by giving young campers across Canada trees.
“I love working with camps because camp staff understand how important it is for kids to experience the outdoors – especially now when many children are having fewer and fewer opportunities to get outside and really connect with nature. This is a real loss because research shows that contact with nature makes kids feel better about themselves,” said Koehle Jones, founder of The ChariTREE Foundation and Love Trees – the children’s tree planting and environmental education programs.
Her programs give trees to children around the world through schools, camps and other children’s organizations.”This really is a fun and rewarding program and it has been so successful because of the wonderful support of The Canadian Camping Association,” she said. Koehle Jones received the award last night at the Canadian Camping Association’s banquet at the Stillwood Camp and Conference Centre for her work to raise awareness about environmental issues with young campers.
“I’m deeply honoured,” said Koehle Jones, a former Camp Mi-A-Kon-Da camper and program director. “Summer camps offer kids one of the best ways to get outside and connect with nature. I really think if children are going to make a lifelong commitment to protect the environment for themselves and future generations, they first need time to explore the wonders of nature.”
Koehle Jones also credits the program’s success to her mentor, Catherine Ross, former Camp Mi-A-Kon-Da owner / director and current communications manager of the Canadian Camping Association, as well as the many generous ChariTREE Foundation donors and corporate partners.
In the last three years campers across Canada have planted more than 30,000 trees. “The program keeps growing and my hope is to give even more children trees this year,” said Koehle Jones who lives with her husband and two young children on Bowen Island off the coast of Vancouver. She is also the author of the children’s tree planting book – The Wish Trees.
To help support children’s tree planting and environmental education programs visit charitree.ca and lovetrees.ca.
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