Outdoor Classroom Project Receives Significant Support

Donation by Carol Leriger marks largest personal donation ever towards Nature Centre

The Helen Schuler Nature Centre is thrilled to recognize Carol Leriger for her generous contribution of $20,000 towards the Outdoor Learning Classroom & Amphitheatre project. This marks the largest personal donation in the history of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre’s 37 years of operation!

Carol Leriger’s donation will be used towards the replacement of a worn-out Outdoor Amphitheatre that is at the end of its life-cycle. The new Outdoor Classroom will enhance the Nature Centre experience by providing a more functional area for visiting school groups, families, and visitors to engage with Nature Centre parks interpreters.

“The Nature Centre does such a wonderful job! I feel privileged to be a part of it,” says Carol Leriger, major donor to the Helen Schuler Nature Centre.

The Outdoor Classroom project will improve the comfort and functionality of the space, increase the accessibility for visitors with wheelchairs/walkers/strollers, reduce maintenance costs, and provide a more conducive outdoor space for Nature Centre programs to connect visitors with Lethbridge's river valley. The project will refresh the exterior space of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre, ensuring the surrounding features of the building match the recently renovated and expanded facility.

“We thank Carol for her leadership and generosity to the Nature Centre!” says Curtis Goodman, Resource Development Coordinator at Helen Schuler Nature Centre. “We know that learning outside has a positive impact on human health and wellness, from infancy to adulthood and the list of benefits is extensive, including everything from mental wellness to physical health. Our community will benefit from Carol’s donation to the new Outdoor Classroom for many years to come.”

Fundraising for the Outdoor Classroom project started in 2018. The project aims to transform a well-loved community spot into a more welcoming and universally accessible space that is the gateway entrance to the Nature Preservation Park. To date, including Carol Leriger’s donation, over $244,000 in contributions have been made by Co-Op Community Spaces, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, City of Lethbridge Community Capital Project Grant, Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwest Alberta, Lethbridge Auto Dealers Association, Oldman River Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada, and the Public Service Alliance of Canada Alberta Agriculture Union. The Nature Centre thanks all supporters of the project and anticipates the new Outdoor Classroom construction will begin in mid-2020.

Donations are still being received in support of the Outdoor Classroom project. Funding over-and-above the fundraising target will be used to embed additional interpretive design elements, helping to make the space more interactive and educational. Contributions by individuals over $500, and by corporations over $2,500, provide permanent donor recognition within the project space.

You can learn more about the Outdoor Classroom and make a donation online at https://naturecentre.ca/classroom (you can even add 15% to your donation through ATB Cares!).