Newlyweds Give Nature a Wedding Favor

Sally and Michael Schaefer of Clarendon Hills, Illinois, wanted to celebrate their wedding by giving something back to nature and the community. In lieu of buying wedding favors for their guests, the couple decided to make a donation to the Chicago Wilderness Mighty Acorns program. "We have chosen to support a cause that we feel passionate about," the couple wrote in a letter to the Chicago Wilderness consortium: "Educating children about nature."

The Schaefers were married on December 27. Mike teaches elementary-school science in Chicago, and Sally works as a systems project manager at a bank in the Loop. "We wanted to embrace our passion for nature and the outdoors," says Sally. "We're avid hikers and we do a lot of hiking in the DuPage County forest preserves." Some of their favorite places are Fullersberg Woods, Waterfall Glen, and Cook County's Swallow Cliff Woods. "This also ties in with school children," says Sally, "and that's also something that's important to us."

Mighty Acorns began in 1993 as an effort to connect urban youth with nature through a unique, hands-on experience including restoration workdays and field trips to nearby natural areas. Recognizing the program's potential, the Chicago Wilderness consortium expanded and improved the program by integrating it with a highly respected, school-based ecology curriculum.

The program quickly grew to embrace seven counties and more than 80 schools. To learn more about supporting local conservation and nature-education programs, visit the Chicago Wilderness Web site. To make a donation, call (847) 965-9275.

— Stephanie Folk