In celebration of Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s 25th anniversary, staff from the foundation last week joined the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast and a dozen girls from Girls Inc. on an exploration hike at Oscar Scherer State Park. The field trip was funded by Gulf Coast through a grant in honor of the foundation’s historic relationships with both organizations. The field trip also supported Conservation Foundation’s ”Youth in Nature” initiative, which engages local at-risk youth in a variety of memorable nature experiences.

The trip was extra memorable for one girl in particular. Even though she was born and raised in Florida, the girl had never seen an alligator—until she reached Big Lake at Oscar Scherer. Another girl said she loved learning about all wildlife they saw along the hike, including a shiny horned beetle.

On the five-mile hike the girls were accompanied by Gulf Coast staff who attended as a part of Gulf Coast’s ”Anniversary Volunteer Program,” which encourages staff to volunteer 25 hours throughout the foundation’s anniversary year. The field trip was the first of multiple partner-appreciation field trips to be held throughout the year.