2008 has been an extraordinary year in which we witnessed extensive program and organizational successes. Over the course of the year, SNJ:
- Served 3,100 students, delivering nearly 48,000 student educational hours in a range of residential and in-school programming. One-third of those students were on their school’s Free & Reduced Lunch program.
- Expanded residential programs to serve more than 800 students and our in-school programs to reach out to 2,300 students who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to participate in these life-changing programs
- Gave out $45,000 in scholarships to under served students and classes who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend our programs
- Started a “Don’t Fuel the Fire” student community service project at our residential programs that clears forest ground-fuels in order to prevent costly and damaging wildfires.
- Guided students to begin planning community gardens at their schools, as a way of bringing the community together and providing nutritious snacks and extracurricular learning opportunities
- Started a new “Multiplier Initiative” by providing professional development opportunities to teachers who can then extend those opportunities to their own students. We worked with more than 200 teachers this year who in turn will reach over 4,000 students
- Built to 8 full-time staff, including four AmeriCorps VISTA (with contributions from an additional 7 seasonal staff for SNJ’s residential programs)
- Worked with 155 volunteers with 14,600 hours of service contributed
- Provided an all-staff professional development trip to the North American Association for Environmental Education Conference held in Kansas in October
- Witnessed a budget that grew from $80,000 in our first year to more than $300,000 this year.
