What a year it has been! Splash has learned over the past several years that if we are not flexible, we are nothing! During the summer of 2021 the pandemic was yet again at another peak as we adopted a budget that was nearly 40% larger than the previous year. This felt a tad ambitious, given the uncertainty of what the 2021-2022 school year would look like. Although Splash was able to come out of the initial years of the pandemic, we certainly do not take anything for granted. Now we are prepared for the future, whether schools are in-person or virtual. Either way, Splash will be able to provide our signature programs to teachers and students.
A study released by Lawrence Livermore Berkely in late 2020 said that nearly 75% of environmental education nonprofits had closed their doors, with over 63% saying they likely would not reopen again. Through hard work and dedication to our mission, Splash has nearly doubled in all areas over the last fiscal year; we have nearly doubled our budget, our programs, and our staff. We could not have weathered the pandemic without our partnerships. Thank you to each of you who has opened your wallet and your heart to Splash over the last year. Your donations and partnerships have allowed Splash to expand our programmatic offerings; through a partnership with Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District, we now conduct field trips in the outdoors year-round, through Project AWE. We are looking forward to seeing this program grow over the years.
Lastly, we were able to pilot our very first summer program, our Youth Environmental Leadership Camp (YELC), which brought 30 students on field trips throughout the region, focused on teaching students about the career opportunities available to them centered on climate change. Through this program we connected with over 18 organizations that presented to our campers and taught them all about how systems in their communities and the environment work. These campers had a ton of fun while learning about how they can make a difference, they are now working with a mentor to implement a climate-smart project which will contribute to their community.
Splash has always been dedicated to helping children understand and value our natural world! We will continue to do so through the ongoing support of our donors and sponsors. We close this year grateful and excited about the year ahead. We are proud of the impact we are leaving on the next generation of nature lovers and stewards. Thank you for being a part of our journey!
If you have any questions about what you read in our annual report, below, please don’t hesitate to ask! Just send us a note at info@sacsplash.org.
