NEWS RELEASE
Outdoor Outreach receives $5,000 grant from KSWB Cares for Kids Fund
SAN DIEGO, Calif., January 19, 2004 Outdoor Outreach, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing high-quality outdoor programs for at-risk youth, announced the receipt of a $5,000 grant from KSWB Cares for Kids Fund. Outdoor Outreach works with San Diego community program partners to provide self-esteem building opportunities for inner city, at-risk youth and teens.
Outdoor Outreach is different from other programs that utilize the wilderness and sports as a means to foster personal growth, education, and leadership development. Unlike other organizations, Outdoor Outreach does not incorporate the "experiential exercise" aspect by having program participants journal and partake in self-esteem exercises. Instead, it provides experiences to create the opportunity for self-esteem to be realized.
Executive Direction Christopher Rutgers founded Outdoor Outreach in 1999 on the idea that self-esteem cannot be taught; rather, it must be instilled in youth.
"Experiences such as climbing a cliff, surfing a wave, or snowboarding down a mountain help youth attain a sense of accomplishment and pride that no teacher, classroom, or experiential learning exercise can give them," Rutgers said. "The experience itself is the greatest teacher."
"Outdoor Outreach gives our students the opportunity to get out of their inner city neighborhoods," said Kathlenn Brewster, Executive Director of the Sudanese English Project, one of Outdoor Outreach's program partners. "They learn skills like cooperation and teamwork and it builds their self-esteem. Plus, they have a lot of fun."
KSWB Cares for Kids Fund, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, is the beneficiary of the fund-raising activities of KSWB5/69. The KSWB Cares for Kids Fund was established to improve the lives of children and families in San Diego County by supporting local children's charities. Since its inception, the KSWB Cares for Kids Fund has donated more than $12 million to local children's charities.
Outdoor Outreach is a California Non-Profit Organization committed to providing an opportunity for all children to gain confidence and self-esteem through participation in outdoor activities. This organization is founded on the belief that offering young people a chance to enjoy responsible recreation in the outdoors brings them experiences that will make positive, lasting changes in their lives. Outdoor Outreach welcomes all children, but is especially committed to providing intensive outdoor experiences to at-risk and underprivileged youth. We work together with a wide variety of programs in an effort to reach the at-risk/low income youth population of San Diego County. Program Partners include drug rehabilitation programs, inner-city boys and girls clubs, inner-city public schools, residential boys homes, and several programs within the juvenile justice system. Since its founding in 2001, Outdoor Outreach has taken over 850 kids on over 275 trips.
|
