The West Sound Wildlife Shelter has been awarded a $4,000 community grant award to provide free-of-charge live animal educational programs to Bainbridge children.

The grant comes courtesy of the Bainbridge Community Foundation Discretionary Grant Fund, BCF Community Grant Cycle Partners, Bob and Judy Karr Family Fund, Marcia and Doug Hastings, and the Klasky Family Fund.

The West Sound Wildlife Shelter provides Kitsap County’s only live-bird education program, and the shelter will use the grant from BCF to provide 20 free programs to Bainbridge schools.

“This grant is truly a one-of-a-kind gift to the children and schools of Bainbridge Island” said Lisa Horn, executive director of the West Sound Wildlife Shelter.

“These programs will fill up fast, given that the normal $200 fee is being waived,” Horn added.

In 2017, the West Sound Wildlife Shelter naturalists provided a range of educational outreach programs to more than 12,000 children and adults across the Kitsap Peninsula. The programs featuring wild birds and mammals, take place in the school classrooms as well as at clubs, civic groups, local fairs and festivals.

The children’s programs are particularly impactful, shelter officials noted, enriching young lives and creating wildlife stewards of tomorrow.

Officials said the shelter staff will work closely with Bainbridge schools teaching staff ahead of the programs to align the curriculum of the program with each individual classroom. Each interactive educational program will provide a one-hour presentation utilizing one of the shelter’s own live-animal educational ambassadors, and programs will be customized according the age and grade level of the students.