O.A.R.S. Employees Climb High to Help Connect Kids with Wilderness

When I first received the email about Climbing for Kids from my boisterously optimistic friend and colleague at O.A.R.S., Tyra Swanson, a couple years ago, I was excited, but quickly filed it under the long list of things that would be great to do…someday. Even then, the prospect of training for a climb up one of North America’s tallest mountains seemed daunting in and of itself, and the challenge of fundraising more than $5000 for charity seemed virtually insurmountable.

But this year, in the face of a turbulent economy, an endless list of projects at the office, an increasingly flabby physique and limited resources for leisure travel, I decided to rethink the way my life was heading. I needed to put something on the calendar and undertake a personal challenge that would help get me back in shape physically and mentally, while restoring some balance to my life. I thought back to the email I had received from Tyra a couple years earlier and realized there was really no better way to reach my goals than by raising money for underprivileged children in the Bay Area who have never had the chance to experience the wilderness the way many of us routinely do in our own lives.

Consequently, in February of this year Tyra and I plunked down $500 respectively to secure our slot on the July 30th, 2010 expedition to climb the 14,411-foot Mt. Rainier, the highest volcano in the U.S.!  Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48, and it is the North American training ground for climbing the biggest mountains in the world. For me, it’s also the first step toward a lifelong aspiration to undertake a technical ascent of one of the world’s great mountains.

Since making this important philanthropic commitment, we have been training (some of us a bit more than others…) in anticipation of what is certain to be a leg-burning, lung-buster of a climb up Mt. Rainier, while reaching out to friends, family, colleagues and business owners for financial support. To date, each of us has raised more than $2500 toward our fundraising goal of $5500 apiece to help create meaningful outdoor experiences for inner city youth.

The program our fundraising efforts will support, Bay Area Wilderness Training, makes wilderness trips available to at-risk and underprivileged youth. These are kids who have never visited a state or national park like Calaveras Big Trees or Yosemite, slept under the stars, seen a bald eagle in the wild, or jumped into a cool mountain lake after a long hike.

Profound experiences in nature can have a powerful impact on our lives and the lives of children. Richard Louv points out in one of my favorite books, Last Child in the Woods: “Unlike television, nature does not steal time; it amplifies it. Nature offers healing for a child living in a destructive family or neighborhood. It serves as a blank slate upon which a child draws and reinterprets the culture’s fantasies. Nature inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualization and the full use of the senses.” In the case of my childhood, those experiences in nature included hiking, climbing, paddling and camping with friends and family. These are some of the most cherished and vivid memories of my life, and they have been the foundation for a deep appreciation of nature and conservation.

Together, our efforts will make it possible for 100 kids to experience wilderness—on everything from day-hikes to overnight backpacking trips—where they’ll have meaningful experiences that will stay with them forever. This cause is all about connecting kids to nature, not just once, but for the rest of their lives. Bay Area Wilderness Training teaches adults to lead youth outdoors and then lends them the gear to do it over and over again. It’s the “Training-the-Leader” model, and it’s an extremely efficient way to get more kids outdoors.

For Tyra and me, climbing Mt. Rainier is a challenge we look forward to facing in our lives, but more importantly, it’s reminded us of how fortunate we are and what’s really important—taking time with friends and loved ones to enjoy our backyard, our rivers, lakes and oceans, our trails, beaches and ski slopes, our state and national parks, the sunset and the starry sky and the lifelong memories that take shape in these pristine environments.

Our goal is to raise $11,000 collectively and we’re more than half way there. To help me and Tyra to meet our goal we’re hosting a fundraising party at Murphys Park in Murphys, California on Sunday, June 27th at 3:00. The event is open to the public for $25 per person. Tickets are available for purchase in advance at Sustenance Books and Sierra Hills in Murphys and at O.A.R.S. in Angels Camp and include full dinner catered by Dragmanovich Family Catering with beer and non-alcoholic beverages donated by Sierra Hills. A selection of award-winning wines donated by Foothill vintners, Boyle MacDonald, Hatcher, Newsome Harlow and Twisted Oak in monogrammed stemless wine glasses will also be available for an additional donation.

To donate today, follow the links below:
Steve: http://tinyurl.com/SM-climbs-for-kids

Tyra: http://tinyurl.com/TMS-climbs-for-kids

Bay Area Wilderness Training is a fiscally sponsored project of Earth Island Institute. For more information on the Climbing for Kids program and Bay Area Wilderness Training visit the Climbing for Kids web site at www.climbingforkids.org.

Written by Steve Markle

O.A.R.S. Marketing & Partnerships Director