provided to The Santiva Chronicle
In its mission to reach underserved communities with the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge conservation message, the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS) funds a Community Connector position in Fort Myers’ Tice neighborhood through dedicated donations. For 2024, the Jenni & Kyle Family Foundation supports the position held by Maria Santiago, a cultural studies teacher at Tice Elementary School and a Puerto Rican native who has developed working and personal relationships with local churches, daycare and community centers, and surrounding businesses.
The DDWS Jenni & Kyle Community Connector position results from a gift made by the parents of siblings Jenni and Kyle, who each lived to be almost four. The family donated the gift this year to cover Santiago’s salary, as well as underwriting an internship that supports urban outreach.
“In their short lives, Jenni and Kyle loved being in nature and the outdoors, embracing the beauty, smells and sounds of nature – bright, curious, and eager to learn and explore,” said the parents, who wish to remain anonymous. “We see Maria’s position as an important link to bringing the love and excitement of nature to the students and families of the greater Tice community.”
“The donors have been visiting Sanibel for decades, and they perpetuate the love Jenni and Kyle had for the island and refuge,” said Birgie Miller Gresham, DDWS senior philanthropic director.
“They appreciate the refuge and the overall island commitment to conservation, seeing the importance of inspiring young generations from all walks of life to understand the importance of our wildlife and natural spaces,” said Toni Westland, supervisory refuge ranger, who leads ‘Ding’ Darling’s urban outreach initiative. “They understand the value of Maria’s liaison with the refuge. As a highly respected member of the Tice community and an outstanding educator, she has made all the difference in our efforts in bringing the refuge to Tice in a way the community can relate to.”
In years past, Santiago has assisted the refuge in setting up gardening, nutrition, soccer, and NASA camp field trip programs that have ultimately raised the attendance and scholastic levels of school students. The Jenni & Kyle Foundation gift will help support some of those initiatives, in addition to this year’s WoW (Wildlife on Wheels) education intern, Ashley McGovern, who will continue into next year in a senior role to help with curriculum development and teaching.
“Tice is already a success story for ‘Ding’ Darling outreach,” said Westland. “Our WoW mobile classroom spends many weeks at the schools, and DDWS generously underwrites a number of incentive programs that have included the donation of soccer balls, food, school supplies, and bicycles. The partnership with Maria, the WoW team, DDWS, donors, volunteers, and other agencies really have made a difference.”
To learn more about supporting “Ding” Darling’s urban outreach and WoW programs, contact DDWS executive director, Ann-Marie Wildman at wildman@dingdarlingsociety.org.
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