S U M M E R N E W S L E T T E R
| Contributions and Legacies |
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Our shared passion for the mission of Outdoor Outreach has led to tremendous organizational growth, including our recent strategic planning and capacity building initiatives. While there are many changes ahead, there are also significant opportunities. At the heart of this growth is the conviction and hard work of the Outdoor Outreach staff. This effort has been led, in large part, by Rachel Rabinor, Director of Programs. She’s changed the landscape of the organization in ways too numerous to list, and has touched countless lives along the way. It is therefore bittersweet to share that September will be Rachel’s last month with us. While it is hard to imagine Outdoor Outreach without Rachel, she will be pursuing another one of her dreams, which is to become a licensed clinical social worker. She will continue to stay involved in Outdoor Outreach programs. We would like encourage those of you who know Rachel to take a minute and acknowledge her contributions.
Thank you, Rachel, for your legacy as a founding staff member of Outdoor Outreach. We wish you continued joy and success in all your endeavors!
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| 2008 Joshua Tree Adventure - October 4th-5th |
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Join us for:
• A 2-Day fully catered weekend at Joshua Tree National Park with rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail runs, yoga and more.
• Opportunities to learn new outdoor activities, test products and services, and meet like-minded individuals.
• A chance to win prizes for meeting fundraising goals.
Join us for this funfilled weekend! |
| NOLS Experience from LEAD participant, Angel |
 My name is Angel J. Cadena and I have been involved with Outdoor
Outreach for about 2 years. I am currently working with O.O. as a Junior
Instructor on surf, rock climbing, snowboarding and mountain bike trips. This summer I had the opportunity to do a NOLS (National
Outdoor Leadership
School) Course in the Wind River Mountains
of Central Wyoming. Over the 30-day
backcountry climbing expedition, I had the opportunity to work on my rock
climbing skills. I learned how to effectively place anchors, various technical
skills for different types of climbs and I learned wilderness First Aid.
After living in the woods without any contact with the
outside world, I realized how little we need to survive. A verbal contract was
made by all the participants and the instructors, with the main goal of have an
amazing experience. Our campsite consisted of four tents, with four
participants in each, and the communal living really brought us together.
Twelve participants and three instructors were able to build a small community.
We shared the land with moose, bears, picas, deer, rabbits, trout and a variety
of birds and plants, just to name a few. The knowledge that I acquired in those
30 days has made me a better instructor. Today I feel more confident helping
the participants learn as well as helping my coworkers become more effective
instructors. I am bringing knowledge from my wonderful experiences in the NOLS
course to work with me everyday in this awesome organization.
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Reflecting on the successes of our summer programs, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for all that makes our programming possible: the support of our contributors, the dedication of our volunteers and the devotion and excellence of our committed staff.
Experience an amazing weekend while raising funds for Outdoor Outreach’s critical programs.| Trip Spotlight |
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We’d like to highlight one of the over 80 trips that were held this summer. The Morongo Band of Mission Indians, located in Banning CA, is one of the over 35 agencies and schools we work with through our partner programs. To cap off an amazing year of comprehensive outdoor programs specifically tailored for the tribe, we were able to take the kids from Morongo off the reservation for a very special week in Yosemite National Park.
The kids spent the week hiking, climbing and camping throughout the park. Trip favorites included a hike to Vernal Falls and the beautiful Emerald Pool and exploring the Merced River. The kids were especially excited about the opportunity to take their climbing skills learned in San Diego to the rocks of Yosemite. In addition, the youth spent time learning about the history of Native American life in Yosemite, taught by a local historian and participated in a restoration project focused on removing invasive plants from the park. Click on the photo below to view pictures from the trip. We’re excited to build upon the amazing experiences from this trip as we continue to work with the youth from Morongo. 
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| Parker Foundation Matching Grant: Building Outdoor Outreach Capacity |
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The Parker Foundation has been instrumental in increasing the sustainability of Outdoor Outreach by helping us diversify our revenue streams.
Through the 2008 matching grant from the Parker Foundation we increased our individual donations nearly 300%- raising nearly $35,000 to date. This is our most successful year ever for individual donations.
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| Linkery |
 This
August, Outdoor Outreach had the opportunity be the Charity of the Month at the
Linkery, a farm-to-table neighborhood restaurant in North
Park. This program is the
Linkery's way of connecting diners with local nonprofits. The Linkery applies
an 18% service charge to all bills and any additional money given is donated to
its charity of the month. There was an
overwhelming show of support from the local community. Not only were we able to gain financial
support through this program but we had the opportunity to inform the community
about all of the wonderful successes and impact Outdoor Outreach has had with
the youth we serve.
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| In the News |
| Click here to hear an interview with Chris Rutgers, the founder of Outdoor Outreach, and Juan Herrera, LEAD instructor, on KOGO’s Community Connection. |
| Snapshots |
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This was our best summer yet - with over 80 trips! Check out some of the great pictures. 
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| Technology Recycling |
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Help us preserve the environment and raise funds by collecting used printer cartridges and cell phones for Outdoor Outreach to recycle. If you work for a business that creates a lot of technological waste, we can create a partnership. Interested? Contact: justin@outdooroutreach.org
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| Telluride Mountain Film Festival |
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Outdoor Outreach is receiving a portion of the proceeds from the Telluride Mountain Film Festival sponsored by REI. The Tour is dedicated to educating and inspiring audiences about issues that matter, cultures worth exploring, environments worth preserving, and conversations worth sustaining. There will be a showing on Monday, October 13th at 7:00PM at the San Diego Natural History Museum and on Wednesday, October 15 at 7:00PM at La Paloma Theater in Encinitas. Tickets are on sale at all three REI locations in San Diego for $12 or $15 at the door.
For more information, please call Customer Service at any REI location in San Diego or visit www.MountainFilmOnTour.org to get a sneak peak at the films that will be showcased. |
| Sun-Tricity Donation |
 Are you in the market for solar panels for your home? Sun-Tricity will donate $500 to Outdoor Outreach any time a new
customer mentions us when installing solar energy in their home. Please tell
your friends and family about this wonderful opportunity. Help Outdoor Outreach and the environment!
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| Brokerage Rebate |
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offering home buyers that are volunteers or donors of Outdoor Outreach a .35% rebate of the commissionable purchase price when using Bombora Investments as your broker. They will also make a $250 donation to Outdoor Outreach in your name. Please contact Nick Rhea for more information.
Phone: (619) 886.2004 nick@bomborainvestments.com
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| New Board Members |
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Welcome to Outdoor Outreach's newest Board Members:
* Douglas
Burke,
* Olin
Hyde,
* Mark MacKay, |
| Support Outdoor Outreach |
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Outdoor Outreach can use your support. Donations are made easy through Network for Good. It's fast, easy and totally secure.
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| Thanks to our Donors! |
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Here at Outdoor Outreach, we are 100% committed to working with at-risk and underprivileged youth... Youth who, otherwise, would never have the opportunity to experience the outdoors. We are very proud of the fact that no youth has ever paid for any of our programming. This is made possible only through the support of our many generous donors. We'd like to acknowledge recent grants made by the following contributors over the past season:
Global Surf Industries |
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www.OutdoorOutreach.org
5275 Market Street, Suite A, San Diego, CA 92114; (619) 238.5790