For students in ReLeaf Cville’s Green Team, environmental education extends far beyond the classroom. It happens in Charlottesville neighborhoods, on working farms, alongside local experts, and in the natural places students enjoy with their families.
This summer, Jaunt helped connect those students to meaningful learning experiences throughout the region.
ReLeaf Cville is a local nonprofit that plants and preserves trees, beginning in Charlottesville neighborhoods with limited tree canopy. Areas with fewer trees and less shade can experience higher temperatures and greater risks of heat-related illness.
ReLeaf’s work is designed to address those disparities while helping residents understand the many benefits trees provide, from shade and cleaner air to healthier and more comfortable neighborhoods.
The organization also develops future environmental leaders through its Green Team program. Local high school students learn about trees, planting, conservation, environmental stewardship, and the relationship between healthy natural spaces and healthy communities.
During the Green Team’s summer training period, students travel to different locations to meet experts and experience environmental work firsthand. Transportation, however, can be a significant challenge for nonprofit programs serving young people.
Jaunt helped ReLeaf overcome that challenge by transporting students and staff to educational destinations throughout the region, including Bellair Farm.
Learning From a Working Farm
At Bellair Farm, students received an up-close look at sustainable agriculture, food production, water use, conservation, and land stewardship.
Bellair Farm Manager Michelle guided the group through the farm’s greenhouses, vegetable-growing areas, food washing and storage facilities, and community-supported agriculture operation. She also explained how the farm raises livestock, serves hundreds of households, creates jobs, and manages a large property that includes agricultural land, pastures, waterways, and wooded areas.
Throughout the tour, Michelle encouraged students to think about farming as an interconnected system.
“Farming gives us an opportunity to see how everything is connected,” Michelle said. “Food production, water, wildlife, conservation, and care for the land all affect one another. We want young people to understand those relationships and see farming as a process of observing, learning, and responsibly caring for the resources around us.”
Students learned how Bellair Farm uses different water sources, manages greenhouse temperatures, maintains food-safety practices, rotates livestock, and balances agricultural production with wildlife habitat and conservation.
The experience gave students a practical view of how environmental stewardship is applied every day.
Learning That Extends Beyond the Program
For one Charlottesville High School student, joining ReLeaf’s Green Team was personally meaningful because she and her family are active outdoors and enjoy hiking together.
She said the program allows her to help the community while also building a deeper understanding of the environment.
“Being part of ReLeaf is important to me because my family and I love spending time outdoors and hiking together,” she said. “I enjoy knowing that I’m helping my community, and I’ve learned much more about the environment. Now, when I’m outside, I have a better understanding of the trees, nature, and the world around me.”
Her experience shows how the Green Team’s impact continues after each trip. Students can carry what they learn into their families, neighborhoods, recreational activities, and future education or careers.
Removing a Transportation Barrier
ReLeaf Executive Director Cathy Boyd said the organization wants Green Team students to visit new places, meet experts, and participate in experiences that bring environmental education to life.
Without dependable group transportation, many of those opportunities would be difficult to provide.
“We could not have offered these experiences for our Green Team students this summer without Jaunt,” Boyd said. “Transportation is a major hurdle for many nonprofits, and Jaunt has been easy to work with, affordable, and supportive. Their drivers have been kind, courteous, and genuinely interested in what our students are learning.”
For Jaunt, providing transportation for ReLeaf’s Green Team meant more than moving students from place to place. Throughout the summer, Jaunt helped connect young people to new knowledge, possible career paths, and hands-on experiences.
This trip is one of many ways Jaunt connects people across the region to education, employment, healthcare, essential services, and community opportunities, creating pathways to greater independence and new possibilities.
Sometimes the most meaningful part of a journey is not simply where someone goes. It is what they discover once they arrive.
