Jenny Goldman lived life in the moment - with passion and
vigor. Her love for nature, in general, and critters, in particular, was
unstoppable. A dedicated volunteer and quintessential junior naturalist, Jenny
soaked up nature everywhere she went, enriching the lives of those around her
and radiating that sense of wonder. In spite of her youth, she
lived life with purpose and urgency, wanting each moment to matter. On January 10, 2004, an automobile
accident claimed the life of Jenny at the age of 16. At the request of Jenny's
parents, Ann Pearson and Matt Goldman, the Nature
Center created the Jenny Goldman
Fund, which will be used to provide education and experiences in nature to
underserved youth in urban areas. Though Jenny's generosity and wondrous spirit
are greatly missed by the many people she touched, her essence lives on through
the establishment of this vital fund, which will inspire generations of young
people to live their lives with purpose and passion.
The Jenny Goldman Fund is dedicated to introducing
environmental sciences to urban youth ages 8-16 who do not have easy access to
"open-air" experiences, reinforcing what is learned in the classroom while
cultivating an appreciation for nature in those who otherwise have little
opportunity to hike trails, hunt for salamanders or even watch common everyday
birds. The Fund supports educational efforts in schools with significant
poverty rates, such as the environmental and academic enrichment program with Caledonia
Elementary School in East
Cleveland and Michael
R. White Elementary
School in the Cleveland
Municipal School District
that began in 2005. The initiative is designed to enhance second-, fourth- and
sixth-grade students' environmental learning experiences and help them master
the skills necessary to perform well on state proficiency tests through a
naturalist-in-residence program. The Fund will help us continue our work with
students at these two schools and others like them to give them "hands-on"
encounters with the natural world.
In its first year of existence, the Jenny Goldman Fund
received hundreds of donations from friends, family and members. Though our
goal is for the Jenny Goldman Fund to eventually support much of our outreach
efforts in perpetuity, the Nature Center is most appreciative of our supporters
who have made our outreach initiatives possible in the past, including the
Renner Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, the Global Issues Resource
Center and the Cleveland Browns Foundation. The funds received by the Center in
Jenny's name are deposited in the Jenny Goldman Memorial Nature Outreach Fund
of The Cleveland Foundation. Each year income from the fund will go to support
our nature outreach efforts.
