The Parks Foundation of Hendricks County (PFOHC) is fortunate to have a strong board of directors who care deeply about the health of our community and the environment. These individuals are dedicated to ensuring the livelihood and sustainability of our Hendricks County parks and trails. Longtime Hendricks County resident Carol Wood is one of these dedicated individuals, and we are grateful to have her on the PFOHC Board.
As an educator for more than 36 years, Carol has spent most of her life sharing her love for the environment with young people. Throughout her many decades of teaching, Carol was a teacher in Lawrence Township, a middle school science teacher in the Danville Community School Corporation, and a teacher mentor for the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship at IUPUI. In doing this work, she found unique ways to bring experiential learning to the classroom. Or rather, outside of the classroom.
Although Carol is retired you can still find her applying her love of teaching and the outdoors as a volunteer at McCloud Nature Park and with HAWK (Habitat And Wildlife for Kids) Outdoor Lab, at Danville Middle School. “Seeing people get excited about being outdoors, enjoying the real world, gives me a spark of excitement to help enlighten others,” said Carol.
Her personal slogan is, “No child left indoors.” She believes the best way to learn is by doing, which is why she not only supports the Parks Foundation of Hendricks County as a board member but is also a donor. In fact, Carol created a very special fund—The Robert A. Wood Environmental Education Fund.
Carol started the Robert A. Wood Environmental Education Fund through the Parks Foundation of Hendricks County in honor of her late husband, who shared a passion for simply help others and supporting education. This fund provides grants to any park in Hendricks County that would like to offer programs for youth to strengthen their understanding of the environment.
“Educating our youth to be environmentally enlightened ensures a bright future for our community, our state, and our country,” said Carol. “I enjoy donating to PFOHC because I feel that it is one way that I can give back to the community, as well as a way to help preserve our green spaces. This, in turn, will contribute to a healthier community in which we live.”
Thank you, Carol, for sharing your life’s passion with us to preserve a healthy environment for now and in the future, here in Hendricks County.