New grant to help local kids learn about their history

The Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area has acquired a new grant to help with education costs

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - They say a picture says a thousand words, well in that case seeing it with your own eyes should say quite a bit more.

That's the basic idea for members of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area who just acquired a grant from the National Parks Foundation.

Why the grant? Because the YCNHA knows when school districts cut funding, field trips are the first to go. And, with the recent spike in gas prices, those buses aren't moving.

So, with this grant schools will be able to transport students to either the Yuma Territorial Prison or the historic riverfront.

YCNHA member Amanda Hexel says that students need to engage with history, the prison, and the riverfront area both are seeded deeply in the history of the Desert Southwest.

Along with a free trip, students will be given a packet with fun facts and park passes for themselves and their parents.