The mission of the program is to make service fun and engaging for high school students by turning it into a competition and encouraging a sense of community while inspiring philanthropic lifestyles that transcend graduation requirements. The concept is simple: schools compete to complete the most service hours during a one-month period. During United Way Mission Ignition competition month, all competing schools gather on weekends to complete joint service projects, called “Missions.”
This year’s program is represented by 5 schools:
Willow School
Benjamin Franklin High School
Riverdale High School
Haynes High School
Patrick F Taylor High School
Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge
With 80 percent of Americans living in and around cities, ensuring a nature connection is vital – both to people’s quality of life and the future of conservation. But access to green space isn’t a given, that’s where the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program at the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge comes in. The program improves lives by expanding access to green space, education, and outdoor recreation for Americans living in and around cities.
Volunteers are needed to help clear trails, remove invasive plants, and plant native trees in a new acreage of the refuge to ensure visitors feel safe and welcome, and to provide equitable access to green spaces.
