From exploring why litter leads to pollution in our drinking water to learning what you should and shouldn’t put down your kitchen sink drain, the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) Kids4Rivers program (www.danriver.org/kids4rivers) features new games and activities every month that kids can do to keep their rivers and streams healthy and get free monthly prizes.

“Kids4Rivers is a fun and interactive way that kids can learn about how their actions impact the water they drink, the air that they breath, the land that they play on and the animals that live in their community,” said Krista Hodges, DRBA’s environmental education manager.

“The health of our local waterways has an overwhelming impact on our everyday lives—affecting farmland, community health, economic development, just to scratch the surface. Kids can do new Kids4Rivers activities every month with their parents and other children and ultimately play a meaningful role to increase the level of environmental literacy and inspire action to improve the health of these fragile, vital ecosystems,” Hodges said.

DRBA’s Kids4Rivers (www.danriver.org/kids4rivers) offers three new activities for kids every month and when they are completed, they can get a prize from a business or park in the area. This new initiative was funded by a Monogram Foods’ Monogram Loves Kids grant.

“Our team members make the decisions about which community effort receives grant money from the Monogram Loves Kids Foundation,” said Pat Strickland, Monogram Foods Plant Manager in Martinsville. “The value of teaching children about personal responsibility for the environment is unmatched. Funding this project was a no-brainer for our committee.”

Kids, with their parent’s permission, can visit www.danriver.org/kids4rivers the first week of every month to find a new trio of fun activities and the location of the month’s prize sponsor.

“This is an awesome opportunity for businesses in the Dan River Basin to get kids and families to come their establishment,” said Brian Williams, DRBA’s Virginia program manager. “By being a Kids4Rivers monthly prize sponsor, you are not only showing that your business cares about keeping our rivers, farms and wildlife healthy, you’re also engaging customers from 16-counties in Virginia and North Carolina with very little investment.”

To become a Kids4Rivers monthly prize sponsor, please contact the DRBA Virginia office at (276) 634-2592 or khodges@danriver.org.

The mission of the Dan River Basin Association is to promote and protect the natural and cultural resources of the Dan River basin through education, recreation, and stewardship. DRBA works to fulfill that mission by building river accesses and trails, educating people of all ages about protecting our natural resources, and protecting our water resources through planning, civic engagement and water quality monitoring efforts.

The Dan River basin is 3,300 square miles including 16 counties throughout Virginia and North Carolina. To learn more about DRBA and how to help protect our natural and cultural resources, visit www.danriver.org.