Youth to Yellowstone: Planning Underway for 2024 Trip

Local school counselors are being asked to nominate students who they believe will most benefit from the 13-day trip.

Photo provided.

(Ripley County, Ind.) - A great deal of planning is underway for this year’s Youth to Yellowstone of Ripley County trip of a lifetime for some area youth. This year’s trip will be in July, with volunteers again taking up to 14 students from local county high schools.

Local school counselors are being asked to nominate students who they believe will most benefit from the 13-day trip. Students will then need to apply to go on the trip and final selections will be made by the Youth to Yellowstone Board.

Other activities Youth to Yellowstone Board members have been working on include fundraising, hotel selections, food planning, adult chaperone coordination, and more. The cost per student is expected to be about $2,200 for this year, according to Bill Riley, president of the Board of Directors for the nonprofit organization. Chaperones on the trip pay their own expenses, he added.

The organization provides food, transportation by van, hotels and campsites, as well as other students’ needs. “Some students need hiking shoes and socks, as well as other personal items.” Riley noted. Students are also given t-shirts to wear on the trip, which allows the adults to keep track of them in crowds. Funds for the trips are from generous donations from families and individuals, foundations, businesses, and local community organizations.

The travelers expect to see national treasures in the west, including Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Badlands and Yellowstone National Park. The students will experience eight nights of tent camping, campground cooking, learn photography skills, hiking, and learn about the wild animals they see while out scouting. Many, who have never traveled far from their homes, will learn new things about themselves, and the larger world around them.

Anyone interested in helping out with Youth to Yellowstone of Ripley County, or wanting more information or a presentation, may call 812-621-1965, email at Y2Y@YouthToYellowstone.org, or visit www.YouthToYellowstone.org. Board members for the nonprofit are: Bill Riley, president, Jim Waldo, vice president, Kristina Pope, secretary, Nancy Laymon, treasurer, Woody Pope, Katherine Taul, and Jack Wilker. Donations may be made on the secure website, given to a board member, or sent to P.O. Box 42, Milan, Indiana 47031.