Meduxnekeag River Association Inc., Recipient

Meduxnekeag River Association Inc.: one by one® story Promotional binoculars are helping children clearly see the value of the natural resources around them, and promotional flying disks are helping their visions take flight. The Meduxnekeag River Association Inc. selected these custom promotional products with their 4imprint one by one grant. The Meduxnekeag River Association applied for the grant to support the promotional needs of their annual Grand Showcase Competition. This year, local elementary students competed under the theme of “150 Environmental Projects – To Celebrate Canada’s 150th Birthday.” More than 680 students received Fold Up Flyers, and 80 students with exceptional projects were awarded Sports Rubber Binoculars. The giveaways help underscore the mission of the nonprofit based in Woodstock, New Brunswick: protecting and promoting the Appalachian hardwood forest in the Meduxnekeag River Watershed. Today, more than 850 acres are protected. “All of our protections have been done in the last 21 years. It’s been quite an achievement for such a small town,” explains Jennifer Calhoun, education coordinator for the Meduxnekeag River Association Inc. “It’s definitely our goal within our educational programs to connect students back to nature, especially in their local environment,” Calhoun says, explaining that even children who face challenges in school find a special connection with nature during the association’s educational programs. “We get teachers who come out to our preserve and they say, ‘We just want to warn you; we have a difficult class,’ but when we get them out in to the woods during our experiential program, they are so engaged and having so much fun that we never have any difficulties.” It’s an experience those students don’t soon forget. “I go into the grocery store, and kids run up to me and give me a hug, and they say, ‘You gave me a tour!’” Calhoun says. The event giveaways made a huge impression on the students, who continue to use their binoculars and promotional flying disks. ”They absolutely love them, and there are reports from teachers that they are playing with them at recess, so they are motivating students to be active outside as we had hoped,” Calhoun says. And that cultivates a long-term appreciation for the beauty of the Meduxnekeag River Watershed.

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