Project Promise is relaunching its Ticket to Ride (TTR) program in conjunction with the National Park Service (NPS). Ticket to Ride is a program that provides transportation support, so students can get the chance to visit national parks. This year, the program will afford fifth graders in the public-school system an opportunity to visit the Buck Island Reef National Monument, one of the most pristine barrier coral reef systems in the Caribbean.
The program kicks off this week. The students will learn about the ecological significance of Buck Island as well as its cultural history. The TTR program occurs over several days and begins with an in-school visit to provide students with information on the reef. They will take a field trip to Buck Island on the second day, and the program will conclude with a post-park visit and activity at the students’ schools on the final day.
TTR is being provided courtesy of Steve Kammerzelt of Big Beard’s Adventure Tours, who is sponsoring each trip.
“We are extremely grateful to Steve and the Big Beard’s team for their generosity with this project,” said Project Promise founder and president Resa O’Reilly. “Through their sponsorship, hundreds of local students will get to learn about one of the territory’s national parks.”
Project Promise also manages a program called Every Kid In a Park (EKIAP) program through its partnership with NPS, which allows fourth graders the opportunity to visit and learn about the Salt River Bay National Historic Site and Ecological Preserve. Since 2016, both programs have served more than 1,900 students.
For more information about the Ticket to Ride program or other Project Promise programs, contact Resa O’Reilly at 244-3242. Project Promise is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk youth on St. Croix by providing empowerment initiatives, cultural programs and family services. To learn more about Project Promise, visit the website at www.projectpromisevi.com.