We're pleased to announce an exciting new project being developed by our friends at Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center. The Roadrunner Outdoor Adventure Bus will connect thousands of children in Austin to nature by lowering costs of transportation. As an organization that engages with under-served youth on a regular basis and connects them to nature through our Teaching Garden field trips, we at SFC have seen how transportation issues can be a barrier to getting children outside.

More than ever, children from under-served backgrounds lack first-hand experiences with the natural world – they may live in areas with no access to a park, or their family may share one car that is used only for work or household tasks. Many schools also have limited funding for field trips and have to secure transportation services that are costly and have limited time requirements. We have seen how securing transportation to our Teaching Garden field trips is often complex for teacher if buses are already being used for other scheduled purposes or if no funds are available.

This bus will be used to bring underserved students to Westcave and will also be available for rental at a significantly reduced price for schools and nonprofits to bring their youth to nature locations throughout the greater Austin area. The bus could carry youth to and from our center in the near future for field trips to the Teaching Garden to learn about where their food comes from, how it grows, and what it tastes like, all in an outdoors setting.

We hope you will consider supporting this campaign and overcoming the barrier to reconnecting kids to nature in Austin. We were thrilled to be interviewed for the campaign video and speak about why we support this project. Check out the video and consider donating!