A Few Days Left

We still have $1,200 available to be matched from an anonymous donor! And there are still $1,000 matching grants available [pledge to donate a $1,000 and that $1,000 will be matched by the end of the year]. Please contact Kristy or Shooter for more details - orizabaorbust at gmail dot com.

Thank you!

The Illustrious Match

I'm stoked! We have two matching opportunities...

One, from an anonymous donor - willing to match donations up to $5,000. So your $10 becomes $20...

Aaaand, we have a limited number of $1,000 matching grants from our Into the Wild event in September. This means if you donate $1,000 -- as an individual OR as a group, in one payment OR broken up into monthly payments (I donated $1,000 as $20/mo for 4 years - that's like 3 beers, or 6 soy capps :)) -- it will be matched for BAWT this year. This is HUGE!

$1,000 = 17 kids outdoors (that could be an entire class).

Again, donations in any amount are much much appreciated. Please know, truly, every little bit counts and helps!

Thanks!

This crazy little thing called BAWT

This is what it's all about, this is what BAWT does (and does well)...

The + 1 Challenge

My goal of the $18,490 is $10K, yes $10 G's. Easiest/best way I see this happening is 500 people giving $20 each. That's it. $20. 500 people. Wait, what(!?)...

In order to reach that goal, I'm asking for your help. I'll need your help! The challenge...to donate $20 to the cause AND recruit one more person to donate $20 (assuming it's someone you can ask to do the same, even better - kinda pyramid-ish I know :)).

Have 5 friends donate...your $20 turns into $100. (Who needs some big fancy corporate/anonymous donor to match gifts, when we have crowdsourced micro fundraising?!)

Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter people (we know who you are), please consider posting to your status, sending a bulletin, tweeting, etc. Use your networks. This is what the social web is all about!

Of course, larger donations are appreciated and welcome (if you mussst). But truthfully, how AWESOME to be a part of demonstrating the power of community, how little actions can collectively have BIG impact. [And, not to mention, we'd definitely be breaking some Climbing for Kids donation records!]

Who's going to be your +1?

Rock on. Gracias.

Fundraising by the Foot

UPDATE: Shooter and I have changed our fundraising goal...$18,490. That is $1 per foot. Who's going to sponsor the summit!?!

Shooter who? A word from KG...

Before I go much further, a word about the person I've been fated to climb with, and it's significance to this trip, and to me. This man I know named Shane "Shooter" Nelson.

First, I should of known something was up when Shane resurfaced this summer. He always (always) comes/goes at very transitional points in my life.

Flashback to September 2001. My very first trip as a ("professional") outdoor educator. I found this in a journal I had back then (please bear with the choppiness, I edited in interest of length/relevance/depreciated writing skills - not that they're much better now ;))...

9/26/01
So, last week I spent in Big Bear working with the 7th grade Francis Parker Orientation for Azure. This was the first program I've worked for this company. Among the people who I met and worked with was this guy Shane who came with his dog Bridger and a positive energy. He went around with these value cards for people to pick - I chose Intention... Then at the end of the week, on the last day after sharing my experience of my dynamic group of kids with him, he told me to pick another card... this card, he said, would be what I taught those kids this week, even if I didn't know it. My card was New Beginnings...

...A common theme that came up was family and friends and influences in our lives... Obviously there are too many to name... but for all these people, I am thankful. God has definitely put many special people in my life.

From 9/27/01
...Back to thinking about the Parker program, I don't want to forget about Shane's story about his friend, Sean Logan and his sort of vision/quest to become a man.

...In short, from what I remember, Sean faced a bear that represented himself, all his fears, and reflecting him. Once he accepted that this bear was a manifestation of the monsters inside of him and resolved to face them, the bear transformed to a beautiful Native American woman. He realized that he needed love in his life...

Little did I know what those New Beginnings would entail...

It was just one month later, my epic Joshua Tree "adventure" happened [getting lost with five (awesome) 7th grade girls (at night) in the Wonderland of Rocks - those ladies are still legends of the school, btw]. Man. That trip changed my life. Most definitely, a New Beginning. It was then I truly realized the value of the outdoors, and the experiential learning happening on both sides (instructor and student).

More Shooter and outdoor adventure/learning stories to come, don't you worry. But thought this was an important one to start with.

Here I am, about to turn 30, and gearing up to open another chapter in my life. It only seems kismet Shane Shooter Logan Nelson is with me to usher it in... Here's to New Beginnings!

It's ON.

Hi folks. So it's already Oct. 20. Just about a month away... Shooter is back in Colorado, KG still here in SF. Honestly, I've been slacking on the fundraising. Nelson is definitely ahead of me on that front. However, fear not... I'm feeling ambitious and passionate. Not to mention Shooter has thrown out a new challenge.

Instead of the 15K we were originally going for...one-hundred-fifty-thousand. Yup, you read that right - $150K. Why? Because, why NOT?! This organization rocks. The work they do is necessary, the way they do it is exponentially beneficial. This trip is meaningful. I say we go for it. What is it? Go big, or go home?? Well...

How are we going to get there? We have some ideas... :)