Slide 2:Our Mission… Inspire learners of all ages to embrace nature, engage their minds, and acquire an awareness of responsible stewardship for our planet.


Slide 3:A chance for discovery


Slide 4:Changing lives… one child at a time!


Slide 5:“Nature still informs our years, lifts us, carries us” Richard Louv


Slide 6:Canoeing with Beekman Center students October 2008


Slide 7:Beekman Center students patiently waiting to go canoeing


Slide 8:Nature calms, focuses and excites!


Slide 9:Beekman Center students having the opportunity to canoe for the first time!


Slide 10:The beauty of Ebersole reflected in a child’s smile


Slide 11:A year-round outdoor education experience


Slide 12:Incredible and diverse habitats abound at Ebersole Center


Slide 13:Lansing School District Round –Up Rally 2008


Slide 14:Children need nature for the healthy development of their senses, and therefore, for learning and creativity.


Slide 15:For many children, the first window to wonder is often nature.


Slide 16:Teambuilding teaches cooperation and creative problem solving skills for students who might not have been able to work together before


Slide 17:Students love taking a special trip to Lake Michigan to explore the sand dunes, the beach and for swimming!


Slide 18:There is a real world, beyond the glass, for children who look… for those whose parents encourage them to truly see.


Slide 19:“Leave no child inside”


Slide 20:The next piece in the puzzle…


Slide 21:With your help, the dream can be realized!


Slide 22:Opportunity awaits at the Ebersole Foundation farm!


Slide 23:Limitless possibilities!


Slide 24:“Give your heart to Ebersole”


Slide 25:Direct exposure to nature is essential for physical and emotional health


Slide 26:Beautiful Jackson Lake


Slide 27:Extensive boardwalks make nature accessible for everyone!


Slide 28:“Man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard…


Slide 29:…[the Lakota] knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans too.” Luther Standing Bear (c.1868-1939)


Slide 30:“Let nature be your teacher” Willian Wordsworth


Slide 31:The Ebersole campus is a bridge to the natural world, modern safety and comfort on the edge of wild natural beauty.


Slide 32:The Center provides opportunities for children and adults to get away from everyday distractions and discover a place of quiet relaxation to experience the natural world.


Slide 33:“In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy: a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace.”


Slide 34:Ebersole fosters a love of nature


Slide 36:Fishing is one of the ways that students learn of the mystery and moral complexity of nature


Slide 37:Students utilizing Ebersole’s challenge courses


Slide 38:“It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to… the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.” Vincent Van Gogh


Slide 39:Rustic camping at Ebersole


Slide 40:The joy and wonder in a child’s face when they catch a fish


Slide 41:Summer campers visiting Lake Michigan


Slide 42:A year-round outdoor education experience


Slide 43:Nesting Sand Hill Cranes on the Ebersole Center’s property


Slide 44:“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” Rachel Carson


Slide 45:“To trace the history of a river or a raindrop, is also to trace the history of the soul…” Gretel Ehrlich


Slide 46:From the first signs of life in the spring...


Slide 47:to the silent beauty of winter…


Slide 59:Team Building


Slide 60:“Being in nature is about doing something, about direct experience , and about not being a spectator.”