Contact: Rachel Scott
Colorado Mountain Club
303.996.2746
Jessica B. Lange
The North Face
510.618.2734
THE NORTH FACE EXPLORE FUND AWARDS GRANT TO COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB’S YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAM
CMC’S Youth Education Program supports a national effort to increase outdoor participation among Front Range youth
GOLDEN, Colo – December 5, 2011– The North Face has awarded a $2,500 grant to the Colorado Mountain Club’s(CMC) Youth Education Program to help children and families explore the outdoors. CMC's Youth Education Program facilitates the understanding and respect for mountain environments, fosters well-being through self-awareness, physical activity, and teambuilding, and stimulates interest in academic topics through mountiain-related recreation. The Colorado Mountain Club was selected from hundreds of applications. In the final grant cycle of 2011, The North Face awarded $125,000 Explore Fund grants to 51 projects helping more than 30,000 kids to connect to nature.
“The Colorado Mountain Club is honored to be a recipient of The North Face Explore Fund grant. We are proud partners of the national movement to inspire youth to explore the outdoors by using the power of nature to awaken a child's senses, curiosity, and desire to learn,” said Colorado Mountain Club CEO, Katie Blackett. “At the CMC, we believe that a key piece of engaging youth and their families with nature is by combining outdoor learning with their every day lives and current school curriculum.”
The CMC’s Youth Education Program was established in 1999. Since it’s founding, the program has introduced over 58,000 youth to Colorado's mountains.
“We believe in the importance of bringing youth together from diverse backgrounds and providing them with opportunities to get outdoors,” said Ann Krcik, director of Outdoor Exploration at The North Face. “We support organizations that work to create these opportunities for youth because we’ve seen firsthand how these programs can ignite a passion for the outdoors and teach them the importance of protecting the places we play for generations to come.”
The CMC's Youth Education Program continues to provide opportunities for over 5,000 kids annually to experience the natural world through active learning adventures--essentional opportunitites to help combat childhood obesity and prevent "nature deficit disorder." To learn more about the CMC and its Youth Education Program visit www.cmc.org. To learn more about all of the Explore Fund grantees and to keep up on their progress visit www.planetexplore.com/explorefund and www.twitter.com/coloradomtnclub.
About The Colorado Mountain Club
The Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to adventure, education and preservation in Colorado. Established in 1912 by mountaineering enthusiasts, CMC now has more than 7,000 members statewide who explore and protect the wild areas of Colorado. CMC offers hundreds of events and classes for all ages and abilities. Throughout its history, the club has been instrumental in landmark achievements such as the designation of Rocky Mountain National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, and the passage of the Wilderness Act. To become a member, visit www.cmc.org.
About The North Face Explore Fund
The North Face® Explore FundTM is a grant program committed to supporting non-profit, community organizations that break down the barriers preventing children and families from experiencing the outdoors. The Explore Fund, administered by The Outdoor Foundation, finds, engages and provides funding for new partners that help further the mission of inspiring the next generation of explorers and conservationists by helping them discover nature's playground.
About PlanetExplore
PlanetExplore is an online community founded by The North Face, powered by partner organizations that share a passion for the outdoors, and designed to help individuals and families learn about and participate in outdoor activities and events in their area. PlanetExplore is a portal to the outdoors designed to inspire and enable people of all ages to become regularly active outside, and to enjoy the benefits gained through a connection to nature.
For more information, please visit our websites:
The Explore Fund www.explorefund.com
Planet Explore www.planetexplore.com
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