Indiana Mom Wins Contest and Gives Prize to Park Ranger Brother Who Helps Protect National Parks, Yellowstone National Park Wins Vote for Favorite Park
“I’d love to give this framed print to him as a gift for all of the hard work he’s done and the passion he has for protecting our parks,” Kaylin said. “Last summer he took his young daughter to Yosemite. I know this would mean so much to him.”
When Kaylin Bruce was 5 years old, her mother packed up their family and took a 2000+ mile roadtrip from Cincinnati to San Francisco to visit her brother. Along the way, Kaylin and five of her seven siblings that made the cross-country journey stopped to see the Grand Canyon National Park. Visiting the park, was a special memory that Kaylin said she will never forget.
Kaylin is one of the winners of Xplorer Maps’ contest held in celebration of the National Park Service’s 101st birthday. With nearly 800 people entering the Facebook-hosted contest, which involved choosing their favorite national parks, Kaylin was the randomly selected winner. The Indiana resident will soon be receiving a framed print of her favorite national park: Yosemite.
The other contest winner is Yellowstone Forever, the nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park, which received the most votes for the favorite national park. Yellowstone Forever also will receive a framed print.
Kaylin Bruce (pictured with her boys) went to Grand Canyon National Park with her family when she was 5 years old. She hopes to take her two boys to Yosemite National Park someday to create some lifelong memories for her two young sons.
Kaylin said she chose Yosemite National Park as her favorite park because “the peaks and the huge mountains are simply amazing and so majestic to look at. They remind me of my trip to the Grand Canyon as a child, and that’s something I’ll never forget. I’d love to create similar memories with my children in Yosemite.”
Even though Kaylin dreams of visiting Yosemite, she won’t be keeping the framed print that she won. She plans to give it to her brother, Kevin, who is a park ranger in California. When Kevin was younger, he joined the Peace Corps and moved to the Ukraine for a few years, Kaylin said. When he came back, he finished his degree in Environmental Science and became a park ranger.
“I’d love to give this framed print to him as a gift for all of the hard work he’s done and the passion he has for protecting our parks,” Kaylin said. “Last summer he took his young daughter to Yosemite. I know this would mean so much to him.”
Yellowstone National Park Voted the Favorite
Known for its colorful hot springs and geysers, Yellowstone, was voted the favorite by contestants from throughout the U.S.
Neil Mathieu, Director of Education-Retail at Yellowstone Forever, said, “Millions of people a year visit Yellowstone and take with them memories they’ll cherish for a lifetime. We’re delighted to hear that the world’s first national park holds such a special place in people’s hearts.”
Yellowstone Forever partners with Yellowstone National Park to create opportunities for all people to experience, enhance, and preserve Yellowstone forever.
Top photo caption: Kaylin Bruce is pictured in the front row in a striped sweater with her siblings, including Kevin, the park ranger (front center). Kaylin plans to give her framed print of Yosemite to Kevin who lives in California and has worked hard to protect our national parks.