Gateway to the Great Outdoors

Gateway to the Great Outdoors (GGO)

Because all kids deserve a chance to explore

Gateway to the Great Outdoors (GGO) provides free science, wellness, and nature-based education to students from underfunded schools in St. Louis and Chicago. We work with Title 1 schools, where many students have never been hiking, never visited a park, and don’t have access to green space in their neighborhoods or even on their schoolyards.

We bring the outdoors to them, and them to the outdoors.

Through weekly lessons, mentorship, field trips, and overnight camping experiences, we open doors for 4th through 8th grade students to explore science, build confidence, and connect with the world around them in meaningful, lasting ways.

Our Impact

Since 2015, GGO has worked with thousands of students, helping them:

• Build science literacy and critical thinking through hands-on outdoor learning

• Improve physical and mental well-being through structured wellness activities

• Discover leadership skills and teamwork through real-world experiences

• Connect with nature and understand their role in protecting it

Our programming is fun, educational, and deeply needed. And it works — we have published outcomes showing increased engagement, higher confidence, and stronger environmental awareness in the students we serve.

A Crisis That Hit GGO Directly

Earlier this year, Gateway to the Great Outdoors was hit with a devastating blow. More than $400,000 in promised funding was pulled without warning, funding that fully supported our full-time staff delivering programming in both St. Louis and Chicago. These were AmeriCorps service members who had committed to a year of work with us, and nearly all had to be let go overnight.

To make matters worse, we are still waiting on over $70,000 in reimbursements for programming that has already been completed.

This crisis didn’t just slow us down, it brought us to a full stop.

And yet, we’re still here. We have students signed up for field trips. We have outdoor lessons planned. And we’re doing everything we can to keep moving forward with the support of our community.

Why Your Gift Matters

Your donation on Give STL Day helps us:

• Restore critical staff so we can deliver programming now

• Keep nature-based field trips and classroom lessons going this spring and summer

• Rebuild with stability so students don’t lose out on life-changing opportunities

This isn’t just about filling a gap, it’s about refusing to let a program this important disappear. We are not giving up.

Help GGO Keep Going

If you believe all kids deserve the chance to learn outside the walls of a classroom — to hike a trail, understand ecosystems, and know what it feels like to sleep under the stars — we hope you’ll stand with us.

Thank you for supporting GGO.You’re not just donating, you’re helping us keep the door open.