The Burke River Trail Association (BRTA) is excited to announce that BRTA Board Member Melinda Wallrichs has secured a Thrivent Action Team Grant to help bring a new children’s program to communities across the Burke River Trail corridor.
Thrivent Action Team grants are designed to empower individuals to lead service projects that make a positive impact in their communities. Over the past two years, Melinda successfully applied for Thrivent grants that helped support BRTA’s Litter Gitter program, providing volunteers with gloves, grabbers, safety vests, snacks, and water for community cleanups along the trail.
This year, with supplies remaining from those efforts, Melinda saw an opportunity to expand BRTA’s impact in a new way — by helping families and children connect with nature.
Introducing: Scavenger Hunt Hike & Story Time
Thanks to the $250 Thrivent Action Team Grant, BRTA will host a free “Scavenger Hunt Hike & Story Time” program for children in all nine Burke River Trail towns.
Each event will invite young families to explore their local parks and trails through a fun, hands-on nature experience. During the program:
- Volunteers will read the children’s book Let’s Take a Hike
- Children will participate in a short nature scavenger hunt along the trail and in the park
- Kids will create pinecone birdfeeders to support local wildlife
- Each child will receive simple nature exploration tools — binoculars with compass and a magnifying glass — along with an activity booklet to encourage continued outdoor discovery
BRTA hopes to serve approximately 180 children through the program — about 20 children in each Burke River Trail town.
Powered by Volunteers
This initiative will be led by BRTA volunteers working alongside families in each community. At every event, two BRTA volunteers will assist with reading the story, guiding the scavenger hunt, helping with the craft activity, and welcoming families to the trail.
The Thrivent grant will help cover activity supplies and nature exploration tools. BRTA will contribute an additional $300 to support the full program.
Programs like this are an important part of BRTA’s mission — helping people of all ages experience the Burke River Trail not just as a path, but as a place for learning, discovery, health, and community connection.
First Event Scheduled
The first Scavenger Hunt Hike & Story Time event will take place:
📍 Royal Park — Hildebran
📅 April 11
🕥 10:30 a.m.
Additional dates in other Burke River Trail towns will be announced soon.
Growing the Next Generation of Trail Stewards
By helping children explore nature close to home, BRTA hopes to inspire a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors — and the responsibility to care for it.
A big thank you to Melinda Wallrichs and Thrivent for helping make this program possible and for continuing to support projects that strengthen our communities.