Fund to Explore and Evaluate Nature's Benefits for Baltimore
Fund Name
Fund to Explore and Evaluate Nature's Benefits for Baltimore
Fund to Explore and Evaluate Nature's Benefits for Baltimore
Fund Description
What if we could prove that using our vast parklands in Baltimore, strategically, could lead to enhanced health (physical, mental and emotional), cognition, academic performance, social cohesion/conflict reduction behaviors that discouraged delinquency? Science has caught up with our intuition that various ‘contacts with nature’ can have positive impact on all of the above realms. The fields of neuroscience, environmental health, psychology, public health and others have created a burgeoning literature over the past 20 years. We have almost 5000 acres of parks in which creative programming using evidence-based approaches, can be utilized. Imagine what we’ll learn and what impact we can make! Over the past year, my ‘catalytic’ effort has included learning from many scientists, Parks leaders and experts nationally and locally, presenting my ideas to elected officials, persons of influence and capacity to support this work, and now to include many others. My Fund to Explore and Evaluate Nature’s Impact on Baltimore, housed at the Baltimore Community Foundation, intended for researchers, BCRP leaders and others who seek these answers with nature contact programming and a research framework, can be a major catalyst as well as vehicle to finding these answers. I just donated $20,000 for its creation and intend to give much more. As I celebrate my 80th birthday this January, will you join me in supporting this pioneering effort? Please give as generously as you wish! -Dr. Emma J. Stokes
What if we could prove that using our vast parklands in Baltimore, strategically, could lead to enhanced health (physical, mental and emotional), cognition, academic performance, social cohesion/conflict reduction behaviors that discouraged delinquency? Science has caught up with our intuition that various ‘contacts with nature’ can have positive impact on all of the above realms. The fields of neuroscience, environmental health, psychology, public health and others have created a burgeoning literature over the past 20 years. We have almost 5000 acres of parks in which creative programming using evidence-based approaches, can be utilized. Imagine what we’ll learn and what impact we can make! Over the past year, my ‘catalytic’ effort has included learning from many scientists, Parks leaders and experts nationally and locally, presenting my ideas to elected officials, persons of influence and capacity to support this work, and now to include many others. My Fund to Explore and Evaluate Nature’s Impact on Baltimore, housed at the Baltimore Community Foundation, intended for researchers, BCRP leaders and others who seek these answers with nature contact programming and a research framework, can be a major catalyst as well as vehicle to finding these answers. I just donated $20,000 for its creation and intend to give much more. As I celebrate my 80th birthday this January, will you join me in supporting this pioneering effort? Please give as generously as you wish! -Dr. Emma J. Stokes