The Paradise Parks and Recreation District (PRPD) announced the kickoff of a new program, called “Healing Trauma Through Nature” made possible from a $100,000 grant from the Butte Strong Fund and the Aaron Rodgers NorCal Fire Recovery Fund. The District will administer the funds to support a new partnership formed in response to the traumatic effects of the Camp Fire on those residing in the service area of Paradise, Concow, Yankee Hill, Magalia and Butte Canyon.

The grant will help coordinate and encourage partnerships with organizations throughout Butte County with the goal of developing a comprehensive program to deliver expanded outdoor experiences designed to heal youth and provide training, collaboration, and services to providers, identify needs and match resources to partners, and to build capacity to develop funding sources to support services.

The group formed as a result of the Youth Services Summit held in Paradise in June 2019. The initial group members include: The Paradise Parks and Recreation District, the Butte County Office of Education, CSU Chico Ecological Reserves, Outdoor Education for All (OEFA), Odyssey Teams, and Feather River Center. However, many more organizations will likely participate in the collaboration starting next year.