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The new Stewardship Education Center is coming in fall 2023 to the Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly, VA! It will be a state-of-the-art interpretive center for the community to learn about animals, wildlife, and preservation.
The Stewardship Education Center will have many entertaining and educational elements, such as amphitheater risers, feeding stations for birds and other wildlife, solar powered water features, and much more. A focus on STEAM (Science, Technology Engineering, Art and Math) education is enhanced through ‘R’ for Recreation. STREAM will help pique interest and inspire Fairfax County youth, while also intriguing visitors of all ages.
The Stewardship Education Center is designed to be a “Living Building,” one of a few in the region and approximately 30 in the world! It will be sustainably designed to rely solely on renewable forms of energy and will operate year-round in a pollution free manner. It will be created from environmentally friendly materials and designed to be accessible to all regardless of ability, age, or socioeconomic status.
The Campaign
The Fairfax County Park Foundation (FCPF) will support the Fairfax County Park Authority in its endeavor to build the much needed and long-awaited Stewardship Education Center with a Science, Technology, Recreation, Engineering, Arts, Math (STREAM) educational Learning Observational Outdoor Pod (The LOOP). Dynamic educational spaces that support the interpretive services; outdoor spaces for the community to play, gather and learn will be complemented by a structure designed to ‘blend’ into the landscape using color, materials and design.
As part of FCPA’s Helping Our Lands Heal natural capital stewardship model, the Stewardship Education Center will promote education for the restoration of natural areas on park land.
Amenities for teaching such as a kitchen, fireplace, deck amphitheater, outside wash station, learning kiosk, large map, and the LOOP learning pods will provide unique educational opportunities using STREAM principles. The Center will also offer interpretive services for the general public and partners that includes programs, camps, rentals, events, and school field trips. The general public and corporate rentals and events will be offered as well as walk-in use of outdoor experiential learning areas and trails.
Funding will help to build the Thermal Mass Fireplace to help reduce the use of solar panels in the colder months, thus using less energy and contributing to a more energy efficient building. The Amphitheater will be a key site for educational and recreational programming and open to the public for rental purposes.
Make the Stewardship Education Center a reality!
Every gift helps and contributions in any amount are welcome and appreciated!
Generous donors of $500 or more are listed below. Those giving $1,000 or more will also be inscribed on a plaque inside the Stewardship Education Center. Feature sponsorship will be recognized on site in the STEAM educational LOOP.
Donate online by credit, debit or PayPal OR Print this to mail a donation.
Features available for Sponsorship!
- Antique Mill Stone (Educational POD) $5,000
Integrate into amphitheater riser wall or gabion wall of Educational Pod - Archimedes Screw (STEAM POD) $11,000
Stainless steel playground feature to move water or sand up slope from basin - Waterfall Pump & Table (Play POD) $8,800
Playground pump system with table and 8-gallon stainless steel basins - Hollow Climbing Log (Educational POD) $5,550
Playground crawl through log between Pods - Boulder/Web Net Climber (Educational POD) $15,845
Rock tower with 5’ tall climbing mound and web net - Bike Repair Station (Bike Rack pad) $1,390
Surface mount station with pump for bicycle repair - E-Bike Charging Station $6,700
Free standing station for 2 bicycles
On behalf of the future generations, thank you for considering your important and time-sensitive donation that will help provide exciting educational opportunities in Fairfax County!
We appreciate these generous Stewardship Sponsor organizations!
Thanks to our partners for promoting this exciting project!