Washington, D.C. -Responding to an overwhelming need for transportation and educational programming funding from parks and schools nationwide, the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, created the Ticket To Ride program.. With support from Disney, Ticket to Ride provides financial resources for transportation, in-park educational programming, and meals that make national park field trips possible for schools across the country.This year, McGavock Comprehensive High School was selected to receive a Ticket to Ride grant in order to bring 600 students to Stones River National Battlefield.Nationwide, over $230,000 in Ticket to Ride grants will make it possible for more than 30,000 students to experience their local national park this fall.
Nearly 600 students in the Mcgavock High School class of 2016 toured the battlefield by bus and on foot stopping at some of the places where some of the deadliest and most pivotal fighting of the Battle of Stones River took place. They also visited the park visitor center, Stones River National Cemetery. The field trip built upon outreach programs earlier in the month introducing students to the resources and mission of the National Park Service by bringing them to their local national park for a first-hand chance to connect with Stones River National Battlefield. Two local Walmart stores provided lunch for the students, and Eastern National donations allowed each student to leave the park with a Passport to National Parks that will encourage them to continue their relationship with national parks beyond the activities associated with this grant.
"Providing the means for America's youth to experience all that our national park system has to offer is imperative," said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "The Ticket to Ride program makes it possible for us to engage the younger generation through the parks' unique natural, cultural and historical classrooms, ultimately fostering an early love and appreciation for these important places."
In addition to Stones River National Battlefiled and McGavock High School, the Fall 2012 Ticket to Ride grantees include:
Assateague Island National Seashore
Biscayne National Park
Boston National Historical Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Buck Island Reef National Monument
Catoctin Mountain Park
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Congaree National Park
Crater Lake National Park
Craters of the Moon National Monument and National Preserve
Devils Postpile National Monument
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park
Fort Sumter National Monument
Homestead National Monument of America
Lava Beds National Monument
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Moores Creek National Battlefield
National Mall and Memorial Parks
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
North Cascades National Park
Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
Piscataway Park
Point Reyes National Seashore
River Raisin National Battlefield Park
San Juan Island National Historical Park
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Virgin Islands National Park
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument
Yosemite National Park
For many students, the Ticket to Ride field trip was their first visit to a national park. Recognizing that once in the parks, a world of experiential learning opens up, the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service are dedicated to providing this critical access to the parks. Through these field trips, young people discover their natural, cultural and historical heritage, participate in volunteer and service-learning activities, enjoy recreational opportunities and most importantly, begin a lifelong relationship with their national parks.
For more information about the Ticket to Ride program, our corporate partners and ways to support this and the other exceptional National Park Foundation programs, go to www.nationalparks.org.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
You are the owner of 84 million acres of the world's most treasured memorials, landscapes, ecosystems, and historic sites -- all protected in America's nearly 400 national parks. Chartered by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks. We work hand in hand with the National Park Service to connect you and all Americans to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow. Join us in supporting your national parks -- this is your land. www.nationalparks.org.
Join us - This is Your Land. www.nationalparks.org
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/nationalpark
TWITTER https://twitter.com/goparks
Photos of the McGavock High School students visiting the park are available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/stonesrivernps/sets/72157631912934266/.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
