The Adventure Institute (circa 2012)

Old Partners!

Thank you to everyone for making 2011 a record breaking year for The Adventure Institute! We had more donations, more programs, and more impact on our community than we've ever had before! It makes a difference in the lives of our students in a very real way, and we couldn't do it without your support - Thank You!

New Partners!

Without question, the most exciting thing going on with The Adventure Institute right now is the friends we are making. Without our friends we wouldn't be able to do what we do. I can't say too much, because we haven't 100% confirmed the details yet - but it looks like The Adventure Institute will be getting some support from our local REI store in the form of free rental backpacking equipment! This is AMAZING! It opens doors to take students on trips that we could never have afforded!

The Adventure Institute has recently made another great connection with an Outdoor Program based out of Bishop, California. Their director brings a lot of experience and insight to the table, and is excited to help AI move forward.

Logo Survey

Ok, now we get down to serious business. Here is the question that I have for you - loyal reader. Which of these two logos would be a better fit for the "California Adventure Institute"? The "C" on the right is more obvious - but the one on the lef

t fits with the compass theme better. Please Vote to help me decide!

Click HERE to vote!

Adventure Institute Volunteers

Another recent development is the commencement of our first ever volunteer training. We have 11 volunteers signed up! We've trained once officially, gone camping together unofficially, and should have met today - but got rained out. Once their training is complete these volunteers will be helping the Adventure Institute with a new outreach program specifically targeting students that live in local housing projects.

DCTD Outdoor Ventures

And last but not least, The Adventure Institute is in the planning stages of a new program designed for the residents of the Dream Center Teen Discipleship (DCTD) program. This is a 8-10 month residential program for teens that have substance abuse, behavior, or authority issues. AI has partnered with DCTD to weave rite-of-passage and wilderness therapy into their program. This is an exciting partnership and portrays the heart of both DCTD and AI well.

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

Adventure Club Rappel Trip

A couple weeks ago I was able to take my students rappelling off a 70 ft bridge into a stream below. It was AWESOME! Here of some pictures from the trip:

Adventure Club!

As part of Summer School at the Dream Center Academy this year, students have been able to choose an extra-curricular elective - one of their options this year is...you guessed it...The Adventure Institute. We are running a class called 'Outdoor Fitness' with 5 kids. So far (3 weeks in) it has been great! We do classroom learning 2x's a week, outdoor workouts 2x's a week, and on Friday's we have an adventure. This week it was rappelling. My camera showed up with a dead battery, so these are cell phone pictures, sorry for the bad quality...

Setting up the rappel at Stoney Point

Yup, still in LA...(hard to believe)

Joanna wanted to go towards the beginning - she was afraid she wouldn't go at all if she didn't...

Amber initially refused to come at all, though after some gentle prodding was so excited about it that she went twice!

This picture is for Owen's mom. She had a hard time believing that her son would want to be outside, much less doing stuff like this! He was loving it! It's great to see the transformation that takes place in these kids - meek to bold, scared to courageous, quitters to fighters...

On a recent run Joanna mentioned that she had never been tree climbing before! That took immediate priority and this picture was taken about 30 seconds later :)


As you can see, our little Adventure Institute is off to a great start! Thanks for your support!

~C

End of an Era

6/3/11
Yes, friends and family it is the end of an Era, an epoch, an age. The time has come for me to stop sending you all spam. I know its sad, and you will miss my mass messages very much, but we must try to move on...

So last month, you guys were fantastic at supporting, re-posting and tweeting, etc. the buzz about the Pepsi Project we were working on. For the first two weeks or so we were doing great - up to 25th place! Then we started floating like a rock...down to 46th place by the end. I don't know if our support dropped off or if everyone else just started bringing out their "A" game, but it is what it is.

After everything, I really feel like we're walking away from this experience with a "win"! This has been a great chance to get the word out about what we're doing, what our dreams our, and what we hope to move towards in the future. It's been incredible to see the support and feel the love that we received from everyone voting for this project. A couple new contacts have been made with people that have similar dreams and passions - and we really feel the Lord opening up some doors to make this happen. You guys are the greatest!

Now that this Pepsi Project is over I will no longer be spamming you. If you'd like to stay connected to the 'goings-on' of AI join our page on FB, sign up for the newsletter at www.theadventureinstitute.org, or follow our twitter @AdventureInst.

Also, If you'd like to be involved financially, or have used gear to donate (with some life left in it) let us know! We need backpacks, boots, climbing harnesses, climbing shoes, tents, sleeping bags, pads, etc. If you've got stuff you'd like to donate we may even be able to reimburse you for shipping!

You guys are the greatest!
Thanks so much for the support!

~Team Potter

2 Weeks Left!

We're getting close to that final bell! We can still make it, but we have some catching up to do! Don't forget to vote everyday!