Meet Our Community: Molly Curtis

As part of our seasonal spotlight series, we’re celebrating our incredible employees, partners, and volunteers who help make the work of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful (KCCB) possible. In our Earth Day Blog, we talk about the ‘Ripple Effect’ and how all it takes is one person to inspire many to make a change in their community. Today we’re excited to introduce Molly, our Education Coordinator at KCCB. Motivated by policy and inspired through teaching, Molly has moved around the world and found their love for teaching and inviting kids to explore and be curious about the world around them. Molly gets to do what they love every day, facilitating learning about the environment.

Role: Education Coordinator

With KCCB: 2 years!

Molly Talking to a Student

Fun Facts 🌟

• Happy place: Bear Creek🌲 

• Unusual creek sightings: Voodoo Doll 👧

• Favorite hobbies: Beach days, watching whales, watching soccer 🐋 ⚽

• Favorite food to eat: Ramen (place in The Pruneyard) 😋

• Favorite color: Aqua Blue / Rainbow 🌈

When I asked Molly about their favorite park or happy place, they said, “My favorite California park is Bear Creek. I love it because it has redwoods, which I find so magical, and to have it so close is awesome. It’s probably about six miles round trip, but just perfect for a great hike. Being in the forest and hugging redwoods, I could do that all day.”

How it All Started 🌱

Molly’s background started in policy with the goal to change the world. After lots of moving and traveling, Molly tried a project sponsored by the YMCA called Project Cornerstone, where they taught kids social-emotional skills. Molly realized that they really enjoyed teaching and being in the classroom environment. Originally, they heard of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful because they were an Education Coordinator for a group called Environmental Volunteers. 

Molly shared, “I spent a year with a second grade class as an assistant and realized it is so much work. I was happy I could be there…we took the second grade class out on a field trip, and Valley Water was there, and they were showing kids…pollution…poop from cows…so they had hands-on experience. I was like, ‘That is what I want to do'".

When Molly started with KCCB, they were working on several different education programs and received a grant for Scouts Adventure. Now, they are working on a new education program called CreekQuest that will hopefully get kids out to the creek.

Molly said, “We bring in plants and different things that kids can touch and smell; it’s a lot of fun. The goal isn’t to tell them information. We’re bringing the creek to them and trying to inspire curiosity and wonder about what’s going on. With all of that stuff, we try to end with a stewardship message.”

Tabling with KCCB

Impact on the Community 🌎

Molly gets to share their love for the environment with kids every day with their work. Being able to give children experience with touching acorns and opening their eyes to stewardship creates generational impact within the community.

Molly said, “The best part is just seeing that light bulb go off in one of the kids and their eyes light up. Or having them ask us a question that relates to the creek or the habitat. They’re really connecting things and thinking about it.”

The most important aspects of their work with KCCB have been the experience of teaching stewardship, inspiring curiosity, and finding creative ways to bring the environment to kids. Even with barriers, like busing access for schools, Molly and KCCB explore ways to facilitate learning about the environment.

Engaging the Community

Looking Ahead: The Future of KCCB ☀️🌳

The future of KCCB is bright. As we continue to improve our creek health, Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful can open doors and offer a community of learning, especially for children and our youth.

Molly said, “After teaching environmental science for four years…some kids have never seen a duck…would not be able to identify one. Just to touch a bug or, you know, see something different, explore. We bring acorns to class because the acorn woodpecker is in the habitats of the creek. They’ve never seen an acorn. I’m excited to get them outside and figure out how we can get funding and move this forward.”

Scouts Adventure - Paul and Molly

Final Thoughts ✨

Impact goes beyond the classroom when it comes to learning. When youth are allowed to be curious, learn, and grow in inviting spaces, this offers opportunities for them to expand on their own interests. Stewardship is a learned process, so beginning at a young age is especially important. Molly has been gifted with the experience of seeing how policy can intersect with direct service, like teaching, and now can use their gifts to change the world, one student at a time.