UC DAVIS GIVE DAY 2020

During the COVID-19 crisis, we encourage Aggies to give to UC Davis emergency funds to help students in need and UC Davis health care providers serving on the front line. We are also grateful to anyone who would like to support the Arboretum and Public Garden and our work to connect people with nature to uplift our students, campus and region.

At the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, we see our highest purpose as inspiring human potential to help people and environments thrive. With this goal in mind, we developed our signature initiative, our Learning by Leading™  internship program, to immerse students in progressive environmental leadership experiences. Through collaboration and adaptive problem-solving, our interns tackle real-world issues related to pressing environmental challenges: climate change, food security, biodiversity and habitat loss, sustainable horticulture, waterway stewardship, environmental literacy and more.

This spring, our Learning by Leading™ students’ plans were upended by the COVID-19 crisis and the closure of campus to in-person learning. With great resilience, they have pivoted to face this challenge head-on, joining together for remote collaboration with our staff mentors to convert the Learning by Leading™ program into a virtual leadership program.

To support our community during the crisis, they are focusing on sharing the health benefits of nature through virtual engagement with our larger community, including other students, volunteers, members, and the public. Their key message: Everyone can lean into nature as a source of hope, comfort, healing and wellbeing during these stressful times.

Learning by Leading™ intern Eliana Bono ’21 says: "During this crisis, I'm especially honored to be a part of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, an organization full of resilient and caring individuals who strive to make our experience as student leaders the most engaging as possible. I'm excited to see what creative methods my fellow students and I employ to maintain our public engagement in environmental education to support UC Davis and the community."

We invite you to help support these emerging leaders today, with a gift of any size, as they help provide a light of hope to our community.