George and Pam Wendt, founders of O.A.R.S., moved to Angels Camp in 1974 to set up a base of operations for the Stanislaus River and offer guided rafting trips.  But George recalls that it was the Class II San Juan River in Utah where they took their two sons Clavey and Tyler, aged 7 and 5 at the time, on their first rafting adventure.  This trip instilled a passion for the outdoors and rivers in their children that they now want to pass on to others.   

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Written by Cari Morgan

Cari Morgan is a freelance writer and founder of Evoke PR. She currently lives and plays in the Sierra Foothills.

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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.

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Written by Steve Markle

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

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