American Water and the American Water Charitable Foundation announced a $40,000 donation to the Center for Aquatic Sciences in support of their 2022 Community and Urban Science Enrichment (CAUSE) Summer Camp Program.
“American Water and the American Water Charitable Foundation are proud to continue our partnership with the Center for Aquatic Sciences by funding the Center’s CAUSE summer camp program for a third year,” said Carrie Williams, president of the American Water Charitable Foundation. “As neighbors on the Camden Waterfront, we are both dedicated to strengthening and improving educational opportunities for Camden’s youth and supporting the next generation of environmental leaders.”
CAUSE is the Center for Aquatic Sciences’ flagship program and has been serving youth since 1993, with the goals of:
- Strengthening STEM academic preparedness for Camden teens
- Increasing diversity in STEM career fields
- Creating employment opportunities for Camden youth
- Providing no-cost STEM enrichment experiences for Camden youth in grades K-12
“The Center for Aquatic Sciences is thankful for our partnership with American Water and the American Water Charitable Foundation. Through this collaboration and support, CAUSE Participants can continue their work as community educators by learning marine biology and environmental science and developing interactive educational tools to help connect Camden City youth and families to their local outdoors. The program aims at nurturing environmental stewards and empowering youth to be activists for healthier, accessible, and enjoyable ecosystems.” Said Brian DuVall, President and CEO of the Center for Aquatic Sciences.
The CAUSE Program has been extremely successful and focuses on intense academics and mentoring of youth. The participants in this program commit about 50 hours a month focusing on personal and professional development, animal handling training and interacting with the community. Since its inception, 100% of students have graduated high school. It has provided opportunities for more than 300+ teens as interns, and 3,000+ children as campers.
