Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Joe Kendall says he knows how to improve the world.

I think the world would be a better place if we spent more time floating and one of the best places to do that is outside on a river. I encourage as many people as possible to spend more time doing that.

Kendall is founder of the Chautauqua Foundation’s Texas River School, the purpose of which is to…

…take kids to the river that normally wouldn’t get a chance to go.

The school targets fourth through sixth graders who wouldn’t normally spend time outdoors, let alone on the water.

The reason why we work with kids who haven’t been out there before is to help them develop a lifelong love affair with the river that I and so many of my friends have. So many of these kids come to us—their parents are afraid of the water—and they pass that on to their children. We want to try to break that cycle and get the kids to be comfortable with the river.

Kendall says after the children have spent time on the water, they’re transformed.

They’re nervous, shaking and scared and when they come back, they’re jumping up and down, screaming and hollering… it’s a remarkable change.

Texas Parks and Wildlife recently awarded The Texas River School a $30,000 grant to continue its work.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Alanna Jones… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Visit the Texas River School Website:
http://www.texasrowingcenter.com/trs.htm

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