My name is Katie Laughlin. I am CURE’s Communications & Program Associate and I am a sustaining member of CURE. If you’ll give me a moment of your time, I’d like to tell you a story…
When I was ten, my family moved to a farm. I remember the grove in our backyard most clearly when I think of the farm. As a child it seemed like a forest to me – a shady, green refuge I took to for play and exploration. One spring morning I was playing in the grove. As I was running through the trees, a log stopped me in my path. I hurdled the log but froze upon landing. There, in front of me, the forest floor lay carpeted in delicate flowers. Purple, white and yellow – tiny violets as far as my eyes could see.
I felt that this was nature’s gift to me. To this day my heart still swells with joy at the memory.
Today, I think about the sense of wonder nature brought me as a child; the way I felt in my field of violets, and I am glad to say it hasn’t left me. However, the same cannot be said for many people my age, nor can it be said for today’s children – the generation of the future.
This is one of many reasons I choose to work for and financially invest in CURE as a sustaining member. CURE’s mission is to protect and restore rural landscapes by harnessing the power of citizens who care about them. One way we achieve this mission is through awakening bonds with the natural world. We talk with people about the things they’re passionate about in nature, and we bring nature-based experiences to kids and adults – right in their own backyard.
Just this morning I read an article written by George Monbiot in The Guardian entitled, If children lose contact with nature they won’t fight for it. In his article, Monbiot references Richard Louv’s book The Last Child in the Woods as well as Edith Cobb’s well-known essay, Ecology of Imagination in Childhood. Monbiot, Louv and Cobb all point out the well-researched benefits of play in nature (reduction in indication of ADHD and nature stimulating creativity among children, for example). But, more importantly, Monbiot writes, “Without a feel for the texture and function of the natural world, without an intensity of engagement almost impossible in the absence of early experience, people will not devote their lives to its protection”. If we cannot connect people, especially kids, with the natural world and remind them why they care so much about it, we risk losing it altogether.
Please join me in supporting CURE on Give to the Max Day 2016 so together we can build communities of committed environmental stewards who are passionate about enjoying, protecting and restoring our rural landscapes.
Schedule your Give to the Max Day gift today!
Give to the Max Day takes place Thursday, November 17, but you may schedule your donation now to count on Minnesota’s giving holiday!
Simply visit GiveMN.org to make your investment in the work we do at CURE. All donations made now through November 16 will automatically be processed on November 17, Give to the Max Day.
Katie Laughlin
Communications &
Program Associate
