Many of our country’s 10-year-olds, those who are living in poverty, are already 3-4 grade levels behind their higher income peers. 50% of them won’t graduate high school by the time they are 18, and those that do graduate will only be reading at an 8th grade level. Only 1 out of 10 will go on to college. (from TFA www.teachforamerica.org)

During the summers of their two years of teaching with TFA, Shawn and Laura organized trips and brought students on outdoor canoeing and cultural trips. On these trips they saw 10 year olds, already hardened by their worlds of lack, let go of their stress, open their minds and hearts, and really be children…children who were excited, inquisitive, adventurous, and hilarious. Getting them outside of their classroom, outside of their comfort zones, and into the outdoors, created a magical growth experience for them that surpassed much of what they, as teachers, were able to do accomplish with the students in the classroom during the school year.

Vida Verde was born from the inescapable knowledge gained during these two years with TFA. Shawn and Laura moved to California and were not surprised to learn that here students from low-income families were facing the same issues as those in Mississippi.

Shawn and Laura decided to use utilize their specific skills and experiences to form a program that would address as many of these problems as possible. They wanted the solution to be simple, and while helping give the students an equal chance at education, they also wanted to help overworked teachers and under-funded schools.

They were determined to make these experiences free for children who deserve the same opportunities for learning and enrichment as their higher-income peers. In fact, they felt then [and still feel today] that these underprivileged children, who are growing up in an urban environment with very few opportunities to get out, and for whom the educational system is not one they necessarily trust, are the very ones who need trips to the outdoors the most.

Ten years have passed since V.V.’s inception. As the moons have passed, the organization and its personnel have developed significantly, while the core values and intentions remain the same. 5,500 Bay Area students who otherwise would have gone without have attended the programs. The feedback from teachers and students is positive and thankful. The staff has grown from 2 to a highly qualified staff of 7. The schedule fills up well before each school year begins, and the waiting list is long.

Read a letter from a teacher


Historical Timeline
2001-2002
~Vida Verde founded.
~Students served: 400 children for single-day programs.
~2,000 student hours were spent at V.V.
~All programs took place at Tunitas Creek Ranch, a beautiful private residence and hobby ranch & farm 10 miles south of Half Moon Bay.

2002-2003
~Students served: 700 students for single day trips, and 2 pilot 2-day trips
~Strengthened our connections with the classroom teachers from the previous year, and met some very important partners around the Bay Area who have been supporting Vida Verde ever since.
~3,500 student hours spent at V.V.
~Left the home base site with students for the first time on the 2-day trips, to visit the marshes, tidepools and beaches in the area!

2003-2004
~Designed an internship, built an intern cabin and hired 2 interns.
~Students served: 750 children for 2-day trips.
~Significant and beneficial increase in the amount of exposure and lasting impact on the students.
~19,600 student hours spent at V.V., quadrupled from the previous year.
~V.V. gets its first teepees!

2004-2005
~Hired two experienced naturalists who had completed naturalist internships at nearby outdoor education programs. These two naturalists brought a wealth of knowledge fun to V.V. and let Shawn and Laura take a momentary step back from instruction at times. This trend continues to this day.
~Leveled off our student numbers, and served 25 classes (about 600 students) this year, and have been hosting that many classes every year since.

2005-2006
~Students served: 600 children for 2-day trips.
~80% of those students came from returning schools.
~V.V. transitioned to a new home base site: Venture Retreat Center, near Pescadero, and began using the adjacent Redwood Forest of Butano State Park for our nature hikes and visiting Blue House organic farm with the students.
~Tim Ward joined V.V. as an instructor this school year, and during the summer of 2006 was hired as our new Assistant Director.
~First annual benefit held.

2006-2007
~Students served: 600 children for 2-day trips, and three pilot 3-day trips.
~100% of students came with returning schools or teachers.
~40% of the schools that attended V.V. had by this time made the Vida Verde experience an important rite of passage each year for an entire grade level of their school.
~Laura steps into an exclusively organizational and administrative role.

2007-2008
~Students served: 600 children, half of the trips were for 2 days and half were for 3 days.
~Acquired two biodiesel 15-passenger vans to transport the students safely and efficiently between the coast, home base, the redwoods and the farm!
~Programatical and organizational systems continue to be put into place to help each subsequent year run more smoothly.
~Increase from 2 instructors working with Tim and Shawn to 3 instructors. Tim and Shawn take turns by week working on site with the instructors and kids.

2008-2011
~Students served: 600 children, all for 3-day trips.
~Programs move to Potrero Nuevo Farm and to the Optimist Youth Camp. The Optimist Camp, which operates as a summer camp, is our home base site for cooking, eating, camping out, campfires, etc. Potrero Nuevo Farm is where we milk goats and make cheese, learn about the chickens, explore the garden and orchard and see the solar panels and large scale composting in action.
~Organization focuses on capacity building, and strategic plan: Nourishing the Roots.