Grace Point Camp & Retreat Center is thrilled to announce it has been awarded the Jane L. Pettway grant! The grant will be used to establish the new Osprey Outdoor Education Center (OEC). Renovations are underway in the old barn to convert the space into a fun and functional learning center.
Children and youth will learn environmental stewardship through field trips, workshops, group activities and hands-on experiences with the natural world. The OEC will feature reptiles and animals native to East Tennessee, as well as an apiary and livestock.
Anna Davis, formerly with the Camp McDowell Environmental Center, has been named program director of the OEC.
“Our goal is to provide students with the opportunity to experience nature in a safe and fun way,” Davis said. “We want to encourage children’s curiosity while providing a scientific insight into the world around them.”
Davis hopes for a greater impact with Osprey, encouraging students to treat not only the natural world with kindness, but also each other.
“Students will begin to see how their actions have an effect on the wider world,” she said. “How we treat one another matters.”
The OEC will also host events for adult participants, including creation care and theology workshops.
“The OEC is a way for us to continue our ministry during the week and enlarge our Grace Point community,” Grace Point executive director Brad Jones said. “Our landscape is so diverse, which makes Grace Point the perfect place for children and adults to see God’s creation firsthand.”
Osprey Outdoor Education Center is expected to be open bySpring 2019. Group reservations can be made by contacting Anna Davis at a.b.davis.12@gmail.com.