July at The Adventure Institute

Outdoor Fitness

AI has been running a class we're calling "Outdoor Fitness" for the Summer School session at the Dream Center Academy. This class focuses on development of the hard skills and fitness that are needed to participate in adventures. Twice a week we teach classroom skills, and twice a week we exercise outdoors (jog around the lake, swim, run stairs, etc.) so that on friday we can have an adventure that the students are prepared for. So far this summer we have been hiking, swimming, and rappelling. There are some great photos up on the blogif you missed them. We have had a lot of fun learning and playing together this summer!

Outdoor Retailers Convention: SLC

During the first week of August I'm headed out to Mormon-town! From August 3-7 I'll be attending the Outdoor Retailers Convention in SLC. Though AI is not an Outdoor Retailer this will be a huge opportunity to make connections, build relationships with outdoor companies, and jumpstart the networking for AI. This convention was recommended by a contact as "the best way to get your non-profit connected". Though AI has limited resources, I'm hoping that this convention yields all kinds of connections and relationships.

Non-Profit Purchase Program

Adventure gear is expensive! One of the areas of focus over the last 2 months has been the development of our relationship with gear providers. I'm proud to say that The Adventure Institute has expanded our Non-Profit Purchase Program to: Liberty Mountain, Kelty, Sierra Designs, Black Diamond, 5.10, Mountain Hardwear, Osprey. This means that we can get great gear at great prices, making adventuring slightly more affordable.

WishList

Here are some recent items on The Adventure Institute's wish list:

7 Black Diamond Helmets ~ $300
2 Climbing Harnesses ~ $80