OUR "TED TALK"
Every year, kids will watch as their classmates leave for field trips and experience amazing things, all because the cost of the trip was just too much. That's ridiculous.
​
Some schools have funds to help kids who cannot pay, some do not. Some have them, but it is not talked about, because it would be unfair to pay the way for one child, but not all. This is also ridiculous.
​
Some kids have families that simply cannot afford the school trip. Some have families that refuse to pay. Some kids save for months to pay for a trip, only for their car to break down and to have all those funds get re-allocated towards making sure they have a way to get to work.
​
Kids are kids once. Many of them have bigger struggles than we may have as adults. The least we can do is help keep school light, fun, rewarding, and enriching.
​
One way we can do this is by helping ensure that whether or not a child attends a field trip is never contingent on the price of attendance.
​
So here's what we dislike here at Wanderer EDU:
1. We dislike that many kids will miss field trips due to cost.
2. We dislike that field trips tend to end with the school year.
3. We dislike that field trips tend to solely be indoors when there is so much magic to be explored outdoors and nearby.
​
There is a lot we would like to help "fix", but our mission starts with field trip costs. So what does a kid need to do to get a field trip paid for by us? Check it out here!
MEET SAM REID
I'm Sam! I am a full time teacher and the founder of this nonprofit. I use the promise of good food as a way to lure my family and friends to my home (mostly my sisters), remain delusional about the number of books I can read at the same time, and fitness/nutrition is a hobby of mine. That said, donuts are my favorite food - so it's a battle (a worthy battle, but one nonetheless).
​
I started this nonprofit because I wished that none of my students would have to decline a fun school experiences simply because of the price tag associated with it. I know what it feels like to sit out and be left behind due to cost alone, and it's not fun. I could be the best student possible, but money would always be a factor that decides how my school career would be remembered - and I want to change that for other kids.
A more personal story...
I once was told that if you have overcome an adversity, if you have risen above a trauma, if you have experienced something great that is worth sharing - you are doing the world a disservice by keeping it to yourself.
​
These are the bones from which Wanderer EDU was formed.
​
Everyone has their story. Part of mine includes growing up in a family going through a messy (but is it ever not?) divorce. My two younger sisters and I didn't see our Dad a ton in the beginning of it all - but when we did (and especially when Summer time came around), it was special.
​
So how does a broken family afford to give their children meaningful experiences without breaking the bank?
​
By camping!
​
But we didn't camp just to camp - we camped because it was cheaper than a hotel. We traveled across the United States, seeing amazing sights and having magical experiences, but always returning to our campsite at the end of the day to cook, eat, roast some marshmallows, and rest before the next day.
​
This got me thinking about how many kids may never get the chance to experience nature the way I did. Some kids go to summer camps, but they happen once (maybe twice) a summer if you are a lucky kid.
Some kids experience an "Outdoor Ed" trip with their school - but it is often a one-time trip.
​
With Wanderer EDU, I want to help change that. I want to help give kids opportunities to go to new places, learn from the world around them, explore, and understand themselves on a deeper level.
I want kids to have MANY opportunities to learn from the great outdoors, visit places they've never been, connect with nature, learn from the world outside the classroom, and take a momentary step away from technology.
​
So please join us! In any way you can. The bigger our reach, the more kids we can reach with this mission.
