VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY
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Fund-A-Student

Most of us have had a moment or two in nature that we can reflect back upon to ground us, bring us a sense of peace, or to help us recharge. Give as low as $50 and help provide these essential memories to the next generation.
“I was in awe of the noise that its wings made. At that moment, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in wildlife biology.”  Gabrielle (Gabby) Dennis, of Northwest Ohio, was awarded a scholarship to attend Condor Wilderness Camp. (Her full story below)

Provide a meaningful outdoor experience to a child
make a donation
$365 - send a child to our week long...
$365 will send a child to our week long Natural Science Discovery Camp.
Make a Donation
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$150 - send a young child to a three hour Wee Ones...
$30 will send a young child to a three hour Wee Ones program.
$150 will send that same child for a week long experience.
make a donation
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  $55 - send a child to a single day...
$55 will send a child to experience a Single Day Adventure.
make a donation
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​CUSTOM AMOUNT - TOWARDS our katie lannon SCHOLARSHIp Fund
There are a lot of kids who don't have the same level of access to attend our programs, whether that barrier be from lack of parental time to find out about, sign up, and drop off to the program, sometimes a lack of transportation to get the kids where they need to be dropped off, lack of knowledge of VWS and our programs. Help us break the barriers by donating any amount you can to our Katie Lannon Scholarship Fund. 
donate to the scholarship fund
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Fund innovative programs for an underserved community
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Contribute toward ouR efforts to establish a Nature Prescription Program
Contribute toward out efforts to establish a Nature Prescription Program in Monterey County
​$50
$100
$300
$500
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​Contribute to the development of Bilingual environmental Education...
​Contribute to the development of Bilingual Environmental Education in Monterey County
​​$50
$100
$300
$500
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Support programs for at-PROMISE teens & our partnership with Monterey CoUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Support programs for at-promise teens and our partnership with Monterey County Office of Education’s Alternative Education Programs. (Student stories below)
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​​$50
$100
$300
$500
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Support a program for school/group in need of assistance
make a donation
$900 - fund a Single Day Adventure for one class...
$900 will fund a Single Day Adventure for one class (39 participants)
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$600 - fund a full Single Day Adventure for half a class...
$600 will fund a full Single Day Adventure for half a class (26 participants)
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$300 - FUND A SINGLE DAY ADVENTURE FOR A SMALL GROUP...
$300 will fund a Single Day Adventure for a small group (13 participants)
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$150 - ALLOW US TO PROVIDE A CONDOR PRESENTATION FOR A LOCAL SCHOOL
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General Support
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By donating unrestricted funding, you afford us the flexibility to put funds where they are needed most.
A lot of time and effort is put into our programs and any support will help. Our greatest expenses include general funding to assist us in providing meaningful experiences, and the transportation we are able to provide, removing the barrier that many youth encounter in getting outdoors.
​​$50
$100
$300
$500
make a donation
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Learn about the youth and programs that your funds will support.

Some Student Stories . . .
gabby dennis (photos left)
Gabrielle Dennis, of northwest Ohio, has always had a passion for animals, and her mother, Rose, was overjoyed to receive a scholarship to help her cover part of the costs of attending our Condor Wilderness Camp.

As a low-income single mom, Rose was grateful for the help to make this journey happen for her only daughter. She shared with a friend, “This is going to be a real learning experience for Gabby because although she loves the outdoors, she has actually never been camping before. This is one of the reasons why she wanted me to sign her up for the camp because Wildlife Biologist do a lot of camping and field work. On this camp, she will get to meet a real Wildlife Biologist! They say it's an experience that kids never forget.” Gabby recalls a moment when condors flew right over her head at camp. “I was in awe of the noise that its wings made,” she says. “At that moment, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in wildlife biology.”

​Gabby looks forward to being a first-generation college student studying wildlife biology at the University of Wisconsin, and as a  young woman of color with many obstacles, breaking barriers in this field.  Rose tells us, “you’re making a difference in the life of not only condors but my daughter who I know will make a difference in the lives of endangered species.”   
yamile
Often what participants verbalize or express in other ways can be more telling of the effects our program has. It can be as simple as a student refusing to participate or interact with our instructor through the first month of classes, to ending the year as a top student. This was the case with Yamile, who became deeply involved in the menu planning for the camping trips, and assisted our instructor with surveying the student’s preferences, creating shopping lists and a budget and actually doing some of the shopping as well.
destiny
It's been a joy watching the growth of 16-year-old Destany and her love for nature grow over the year. Nobody definitively knew how long she had been out of school, but she could not add or subtract when she started to attend again. She is cyclically homeless but comes to VWS classes, a non-mandatory program, knowing that she may be walking up to an hour and a half to someone's house to sleep that night. ​
edgar
Another promising student, Edgar, attended not only our Salinas River Transect classes, but also assisted with our Natural Science Awareness Class for youth from the Cesar Chavez Library community. He earns a paycheck for the time he has put into our youth program through Turning Point's Silver Star Youth Employment Program. Our contact at the Cesar Chavez Library for whom we provide the youth classes gave very positive feedback on Edgar's leadership and his role in maintaining the children's excitement for the class.
Edgar has also participated in a parent question and answer session for our summer camps, speaking to the parents about his involvement in our programs as an instructor assistant, and answering questions that the parents had in Spanish and English. Edgar also attended the April 23rd Watsonville Earth Day / Day of the Child Event with VWS staff, as a youth/bilingual representative of our organization. 
kayli
Kayli attended our programs through various alternative education partners. Since her very first class she expressed gratitude for the opportunity to have class outdoors. Enthusiastic and passionate, she went to great lengths to hold group morale up in her class, in order to maintain opportunities for outdoor ed. Her home life has been desperately unstable since her young childhood. Over her year and a half with VWS, she has been to juvenile hall several times, but each time returned motivated to be even more involved. She wanted to work with VWS to help lead outdoor education classes for her own peer group. For three days Kayli was in our office feverishly learning about all of the sites that her class was planning to visit and how we assess a site's viability for classes. She learned how to take notes from a college text on Oceanography and how to present related ideas she wished for her classmates to understand about the connections between land and sea. She also discovered, contrary to her self-doubts, that she has many valuable leadership skills. She brought home the question: What type of leadership skills do you have that would help you lead groups in an outdoor setting? This was meant to be a brief exercise in the office, but she could not think of a single skill she had gained that qualified as a leadership skill. The next day she returned this list: Inspires/motivates others, honest (sometimes brutally), good communication skills, confidence/knowing self, positive attitude/outlook on life, creative, trust in intuition/gut instinct, building others up, compassion, sharing struggles, being open-minded, have no expectations. a
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ventana wildlife society

9699 Blue Larkspur Lane, Ste 105
Monterey, CA 93940

(831) 455-9514 | fax (831) 455-2846
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Ventana Wildlife Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization | Federal EIN 94-2795935
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  • WHO WE ARE
    • Annual Reports / Documents
    • Bald Eagles - Our Beginning
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us
    • Employment
    • Media Coverage
    • Our Story
    • Staff
    • Wildlife Sanctuaries
  • CONDORS
    • Artists Supporting Condors
    • Condor Biology
    • Condor Cams
    • Condor Field Work
    • Condor Releases
    • Condor Status
    • Condor Threats
    • My Condor Bios
    • Nesting Condors
    • The Condor Chat
    • Vultures of the World
  • Films and Shorts
    • Films >
      • Giants of Big Sur: California Condor Stories
      • The California Condors of Big Sur
    • Shorts >
      • Condor Nesting Videos
      • Short Videos
  • Education
    • Big Sur Discovery Center
    • Education Overview
    • Inspirational Youth
    • PARTNER PROGRAMS >
      • MWEE for Educators and Teens
      • Wellness Through Nature >
        • Salud Y Naturaleza
    • PUBLIC PROGRAMS >
      • Youth Programs
    • S'MORE in Big Sur
  • Services
    • Condor Presentations
    • Ecological Services
    • Non-Lead Ammunition
    • Wildlife Data Management Tools
  • How You Can Help
    • Adopt-A-Condor
    • Annual Membership
    • Donate >
      • Donate
      • Donate to Condor Recovery
      • Donate to Youth Education
      • Leadership Circle
    • Fund-A-Student
    • Legacy Society
    • Subscribe
    • Supporters
    • Volunteer
    • Your Opinion Matters
  • Shop