Junior Class Carries on Tradition of Philanthropy
by Julia G. ’21
Foxcroft has a long history of fostering leadership and a commitment to giving through student-organized service projects. The Junior Class Philanthropy Project, in particular, has been a long-standing part of the Foxcroft experience and began in 1986. Each year the Junior Class selects a non-profit organization and undertakes the responsibility of raising funds in support of the work they do. This year, the Class of 2021 selected the Audubon Naturalist Society.
Foxcroft has a long history of fostering leadership and a commitment to giving through student-organized service projects. The Junior Class Philanthropy Project, in particular, has been a long-standing part of the Foxcroft experience and began in 1986. Each year the Junior Class selects a non-profit organization and undertakes the responsibility of raising funds in support of the work they do. This year, the Class of 2021 selected the Audubon Naturalist Society.
The Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS), with its headquarters located just outside of Washington, DC, is dedicated to expanding the education of children through hands-on environmental experiences such as camp programs and nature preschool. Through these programs, ANS reaches more than 9,000 children a year, showing just how dedicated they are to broadening children’s horizons and educating future generations about the environment. Not only does this organization aid children in discovery, but they also offer a variety of adult-level classes including natural history classes, outings, and national and international travel experiences. The Audubon Naturalist Society’s mission is to “inspire the residents of the greater Washington, DC, region to appreciate, understand, and protect their natural environment through outdoor experiences, education, and advocacy”.
In the fall, our class visited the Audubon Naturalist Society’s Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, MD, and the Rust Sanctuary in Leesburg, VA. While touring the trails, we witnessed many different types of plants and animals. We were also able to learn about the budget of the organization and how our class could help.
After our time visiting the Audubon Naturalist Society, our class was universally inspired to help the greater good and educate our community about ANS by supporting this non-profit with our fundraiser. While ANS is able to provide environmental camps and programs to students from disadvantaged communities, they are not always able to pay for the cost of transportation to bring those students to their facilities. After learning this, our class decided to raise money to help cover some of those transportation costs and increase access to the important ANS programming.
It is important to the Junior Class that we support the next generation’s education about the environment. By supporting the transportation of children from underserved schools to ANS, we feel we are making an impact that extends far beyond our years at Foxcroft and helps more children understand environmental education with hands-on learning. With the support of the Foxcroft community, our class was able to raise more than $2,000 for this cause! Our plan was to celebrate our success by hosting a viewing party of the movie “The Biggest Little Farm” and planting trees to help improve the water quality of the local Goose Creek Watershed.
While the tree planting near Goose Creek will have to wait until we are able to come together again, our class has decided to offer the entire Foxcroft community the opportunity to watch “The Biggest Little Farm” from the comfort of their homes. You can stream the film online from 7pm Eastern Time on Friday, April 24 to 7pm Eastern Time on Saturday, April 25. The School will be sending an email with a link to the film a few days ahead of time along with the same discussion guide our class will be using to explore the film’s themes in case you would like to do the same activity with your family.
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An all-girls boarding and day school in Northern Virginia, Foxcroft prepares young women in grades 9-12 for success in college and in life. Our outstanding academic program offers challenging courses, including Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM program. Our premiere equestrian program is nationally recognized, and our athletic teams have won conference and state championships. Experience the best in girls' boarding schools: visit Foxcroft.
