Friends of the Smokies Makes a Difference for Kids

Every year Friends of the Smokies provides more than $100,000 for Parks as Classrooms in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Since 2008 with the help of a $1 million grant from Toyota, the program has been growing and changing in big and important ways.  Just one of the goals being achieved through this multi-year enhancement plan is integrating technology to make materials more accessible to teachers (more than 34 curriculum units are now online).

In 2012 alone, more than 11,400 students and 2,275 teachers and chaperones enjoyed going to school in nature's most awesome outdoor classroom, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  During the winter months, rangers went into area schools and worked alongside teachers to educate more than 3,812 students and 219 adults.

Parks as Classrooms (learn more in this great park video), Junior Ranger, high school internships, and archaeological field schools are just a few of the ways that donations support Friends of the Smokies and create the stewards of tomorrow. 

Future land managers are emerging every day as part of the park's Junior Ranger program.  Again thanks to support from the Toyota education grant to Friends of the Smokies our park rangers awarded Junior Ranger badges to thousands of kids in 2012, with an amazing 257 badges earned on National Junior Ranger Day alone. The 2013 National Junior Ranger Day is April 27th.