Smithsonian road trip kept from tripping up with help from FedEx

As with all things tripped-up by the COVID-19 pandemic, students are at a tremendous loss, in terms of education, as many lack opportunities in the digital space.

“The rapid transition to online learning that COVID-19 demanded has cast into stark relief the disparities always present in our education system. Many young people, especially those already underserved, do not have access to a computer or reliable internet access.”— Smithsonian's 14th Secretary Lonnie Bunch, from this article

The Smithsonian is one organization that found a solution to help young minds continue learning during a difficult time—and have fun doing it. They created the Smithsonian Summer Road Trip, a print activity guide with 40 pages of no-tech activities in STEM, history and the arts for K-8 learners.  

Once the guide was created, the next challenge was to figure out a distribution strategy. The Smithsonian contacted FedEx for help and together found a way to bring the fun activities to the students.

“FedEx’s distribution support is directly helping us bridge the digital divide so many are facing due to the pandemic, allowing us to bring no-tech educational resources to young people across the country,” said Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar, Acting Under Secretary for Education at the Smithsonian.

FedEx shipped 90,000 copies of the Summer Road Trip activity guide in August, including 4,000 copies that will be distributed to learners with the greatest need in Shelby County Schools in Memphis, Tennessee. This effort will keep 4,000 “road trips” from tripping up due to the pandemic!

As a part of the company’s FedEx Cares “Delivering for Good” initiative, FedEx uses its global network and logistics expertise to help organizations with mission-critical needs in times of disaster and for special shipments.

 

For more information about FedEx Cares, please click here.