Navistar Donates $75,000 to Morton Arboretum Children's Garden

from the Morton Arboretum

The Children’s Garden, which has attracted more than 1.5 million visitors and won six prestigious awards, has now received a $75,000 donation from Navistar to help children develop a lifelong love of nature
through early experiences.

“As the Morton Arboretum’s new neighbor, Navistar is proud to partner with this
prestigious organization to engage and inspire visitors in the Children’s Garden and show our commitment to the community,” says Don Sharp, Navistar vice president and chief information officer. “Navistar has a strong commitment to the environment as demonstrated by the very significant investments we make in our emissions-compliant products, and we’re pleased to further extend this commitment through our support of the Arboretum.”

Susan Wagner, Arboretum vice president of education and information, said, “Navistar’s gift helps the Arboretum provide world-class programs that engage children in the exploration of trees and nature through play and authentic, immersive experience. Research shows that positive, early experiences in nature encourage children to be good stewards of the environment now and in adulthood.”

Nationally, the Children’s Garden is one of the largest gardens of its kind with four acres of trees, shrubs, aquatic plants and play spaces – and is one of the best and most unique outdoor destinations in Chicagoland.

The donation helps support a variety of innovative programming for children and families including the Morton Arboretum Children’s Garden Youth Volunteers (Macgyvers), teens trained to lead younger children in seasonal activities such as planting, harvesting, and maintaining gardens in the Children’s Garden.

Families can borrow a backpack filled with nature guides, binoculars, and other tools for scientific exploration. “Hands-on” activities are offered in the Children’s Garden daily to encourage children to use their creativity and imagination to discover nature’s exciting secrets.

The Garden grows curiosity as children splash through streams, climb a colossal acorn, and slide down giant tree roots all day long.  Kids explore, learn, and play in ten garden areas designed for science and nature discovery.