OSSF Launches "Field Trips for All" Campaign

For Immediate Release
Contact: Holly Babe Faust, Executive Director, 415-412-2230

Oakland, CA – The Oakland Small Schools Foundation (OSSF), a non-profit dedicated to securing resources for underserved public schools, has launched "Field Trips for All," a campaign focused on raising $25,000 this year to fund field trips across its network of 40 schools serving 14,000 Oakland students.

Due to state budget cuts, many schools have been forced to reduce their number of field trips, particularly overnight, multi-day trips outside of Oakland, says OSSF Executive Director Holly Babe Faust. The "Field Trips for All" initiative was established to support all Oakland kids and to promote equity among the city's public schools.

"Field trips offer hands-on, experiential learning that connects to classroom curriculum in concrete and fun ways," says Faust. "For many students, these trips are their first opportunities to travel outside Oakland. All kids deserve these experiences, and OSSF is committed to that idea."

Through its work with schools, OSSF has learned how formative and inspiring these trips are for Oakland's students.

"We learned about the different types of plants and wildlife that you never get to see in Oakland," said a 6th-grader at East Oakland's ASCEND K-8 after her class's four-day trip to the Point Reyes National Seashore last spring. "My favorite part was the night hike. It was pretty scary, and made me realize I need to be more brave and independent because it's going to be like that when I go to college."

OSSF will distribute donations to "Field Trips for All" across the 40 schools in its network. Those interested in supporting the campaign can donate here or send a check to "OSSF," P.O. Box 20238, Oakland, CA 94620 (writing "Field Trips for All" on the Memo line). More information is available at www.smallschoolsfoundation.org/fieldtrips.

About the Oakland Small Schools Foundation

Founded in 2003, OSSF is dedicated to promoting excellence in Oakland's public schools so that all our students have the opportunity to achieve. OSSF is the only private organization focused on securing and managing resources and providing expert operational, communications, and fundraising services for those Oakland public schools that serve primarily low-income students, are results-oriented and data-driven, are led by innovative, entrepreneurial leaders, and emphasize personalization, collaboration, and family involvement.