$1 Million Gift From Boeing Launches Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center Fundraising Campaign; Hands-On Outdoor Learning for Kids is Non-profit Organization's Focus.

News Editors, Education/Environmental Writers

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 25, 2001

The Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center today launched a multi-million-dollar fundraising campaign to complete the construction of the region's newest and one of the nation's most extraordinary outdoor education facilities.

John Warner, senior vice president and chief administrative officer of The Boeing Company, kicked off today's campaign launch at Seattle's John Muir Elementary School by announcing a $1 million corporate gift to the Bainbridge Island-based organization.

Today's gift from Boeing brings the total raised by the non-profit organization to $38 million. The capital campaign's goal is to raise the remaining $14 million -- for a total of $52 million -- over the next 14 months.

"The more we discovered about the philosophy and program initiatives of the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center, the more we were convinced that this organization could make a long-term, positive impact on how children learn," Warner said. "Combining science, technology and the arts, in an outdoor classroom filled with trees, bogs, ponds, bugs, and animals allows students to experience, first-hand, a curriculum that can teach them a sense of long-term stewardship for their community and the environment."

Opening in the fall of 2002, the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center will, each year, serve more than 7,000 Puget Sound area students and teachers, as well as the adults who shape their lives. The program is focused primarily on hands-on learning for school-age children, teachers and families. The center's location on 255 acres of forests and wetlands will allow the organization to combine its spectacular natural surroundings with art and technology to offer an interactive, ecologically based science and humanities program that promotes environmental stewardship.

Joseph Olchefske, Seattle Public Schools superintendent, praised the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center for providing a critically needed residential facility that will play a transforming role in the education of Seattle students. "By making our region's under-served schools a priority, the organization will have a profound impact on our children's education," he said. "I don't believe we can get all kids to high education standards if we leave them in the four walls of a classroom with a blackboard and teacher up front. Programs like this make learning a hands-on experience for students and teachers."

PSELC founder Debbi Brainerd expressed her thanks to Boeing and other contributors for their extraordinary generosity, but acknowledged that a continued level of giving is needed to launch the program in September 2002.

"In order to make the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center a reality, we will continue working closely with individuals, organizations and businesses throughout the region who see this as an investment in the future of our children and the environment of the Pacific Northwest," said Brainerd. "The community support we've received thus far has been tremendous, and we look forward to seeing that spirit of giving continue."

The PSELC is based on the strength of the surrounding community and partnerships with area schools, community groups, arts and cultural organizations, environmental groups and zoos, and several local university programs. A sampling of current partners includes the Washington State Office of Environmental Education, Seattle Public Schools, Bainbridge Island Public Schools, University of Washington, the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots and Shoots program, Seattle Art Museum, Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle Aquarium Society, and the Pacific Science Center.

"This is an organization that has, from the start, put into practice a spirit of partnership in making this program a reality," said Ron Sims, King County executive. "Because of that, I believe the long-term benefits of this multi-faceted program to our region will be significant for our children, teachers, families and the Puget Sound environment."

The Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center, founded in 1998, provides ecologically based educational programs centering on Puget Sound's intertwined natural and cultural histories. The organization's primary focus is on hands-on learning experiences in an outdoor setting for school-aged children and those who touch their lives. Operating from a sustainably designed 255-acre campus on Bainbridge Island, the PSELC serves as a model for energy conservation and community living. Scientific inquiry, technology and the arts are tools that help children and other participants to develop a deeper understanding of the relationships between biological and cultural diversity. The organization, when formally opened in September 2002, will be supported by program fees and tuition and ongoing fund support from individuals, communities, foundations and businesses.