Politics=Art=Culture

Okay all you rockstars, here's a call out to do some awesome work and help me in raising money for a good cause:

So I’m climbing a mountain (Mt. Whitney) as a fundraiser for Bay Area Wilderness Training, a SF-based nonprofit that trains adult youth-workers and provides all the equipment they need to take disadvantaged youth out into the wilderness. I never realized how fortunate I was to grow up taking yearly trips to Tahoe, going fishing and camping, and generally getting outdoors as much as I did.

But many kids have never been outside the city. And by helping me out and contributing a tax-deductible donation, we can help these underprivileged youth experience something they might never get to see otherwise. 90% of every dollar we raise goes directly to the kids, and I’m asking for your help. Here's what your support will create for a young person who needs it:

• $25 buys three fuel canisters to cook warm meals in the backcountry.
• $50 gases up our van and takes 10 kids to a local state park.
• $150 trains a youth worker in Wilderness First Aid to ensure safe backcountry trips for kids. (The trainings are among the most important keys to the program.)
• $500 adds four new, cozy sleeping bags to our library. (Providing a free gear “library” is the other important key to the program.)
• $1,000 gets 17 kids outdoors on unique nature experiences—from day hikes to backpacking trips.

Feel free to think of this as an early birthday/xmas gift!

Anyway, I could write about this stuff forever, but if you have a decent internet connection with sound and 10 minutes, please check out this video about the program here:
http://www.bawt.org/DonateVideo.php
(and for those like me, I’d have a box of tissue around to wipe thine eyes).

So I’m asking for you to at least check out this video. If it doesn’t move you to donate, nothing I can say will. 10 minutes of your time! For kids!

My goal is to raise $3500 in the next 3 weeks (holy crap that’s soon!) so any and all help would be totally awesome. From $5-$500 (or more) any amount is needed and very, very, very much appreciated.

And btw, you can always check with your company to see if they do matching donations! Twice the bang for your buck!

Sooo, the link to donate is here:
http://climbingforkids.kintera.org/2008/kitagawa

If you have any other questions, feel free to shoot them my way, and of course, if you want to get involved or learn more about BAWT, you can check them out on the web at www.bawt.org and www.climbingforkids.org

With great thanks and gratitude,
Rick


More information:

There have been many studies done about the effects of such experiences on kids. According to the State Environmental Education Round Table, programs with a hands-on, interdisciplinary approach to learning produce young people who:
1) Experience increased engagement and enthusiasm for learning and have greater pride and ownership in their accomplishments.
2) Experience a marked reduction in discipline and classroom management problems.
Also, students who are encouraged to learn outdoors develop an attachment to place and begin to exhibit environmental-stewardship behavior.