Outdoor Lab Foundation

The Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) awarded Outdoor Lab with the 2024 Advancing Environmental Literacy Award. In addition, Robb Gneiser—former principal at Windy Peak Outdoor Lab—received the Outstanding Retiring Environmental Educator Award. Recipients of the 2024 Awards for Excellence in Environmental Education will be recognized today at CSU Spur in Denver as part of CAEE’s Annual Advancing Environmental Education Conference.

South Jeffco knows what's up! 🌲Grateful to students and counselors from Bear Creek, Chatfield, Columbine, Conifer, Dakota Ridge, and D'Evelyn for their service to Outdoor Lab 💙💚Thank you for bringing your energy, passion, and teamwork to every day. We couldn't have done it without you!

This summer, our trail maintenance and enhancement efforts at Mt. Blue Sky were made possible by over 50 volunteers. Over several days, our hardworking teams: ⚒️constructed 400 feet of trail, including 4 timber steps and 25 feet of crusher fines trail, ⚒️improved 100 feet of trail tread, ⚒️removed 8 downed trees ⚒️built two mono-rock walls totaling 8 feet ⚒️assembled a 4-foot rock wall. This work ensures our trails are safer and more accessible for the 2,500 sixth-graders attending our Mt. Blue Sky Campus this school year! Thank you volunteers!

Last Few Volunteer Days!!

We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to the Outdoor Lab Foundation team, Ian Nawalinski! Ian is a nonprofit specialist with nearly a decade of experience in communications and development. He started his career in Washington, DC, where he advocated for criminal justice reform before shifting his focus to environmental conservation. Ian moved to Colorado in 2021 where he continued his work in conservation, with a focus on protecting Colorado’s land and water resources. As our new Development Manager, he will be instrumental in driving our mission forward, ensuring that Colorado's youth continue to benefit from transformative outdoor experiences. Please join us in welcoming Ian to the Foundation!

The Outdoor Lab Foundation is delighted to announce that five incredible schools have each been awarded a $1,000 grant from the Foundation for being leaders in our inaugural Lab Card Enrollment Challenge. This achievement is a testament to the dedication and enthusiasm of their students, parents, and community for Outdoor Lab! Please join us in congratulating the following schools on their exciting accomplishment: ✔️Deane Elementary School ✔️Dunstan Middle School ✔️Mandalay Middle School ✔️Summit Ridge Middle School ✔️West Jefferson Middle School These five schools have shown exceptional commitment to supporting Outdoor Lab by actively growing the number of families participating in the Lab Card Program. Their efforts benefit their individual students, the school, and also contribute to the continued enhancement and management of our world-class Outdoor Lab campuses. Support Outdoor Lab through Lab Cards and read the full story here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gKxUW2vx

The Outdoor Lab Foundation is celebrating all of the ways we have supported the Outdoor Lab Program this past school year and the positive impact Outdoor Lab has on Jeffco students. First, the Foundation contributed $175,000 to schools to support tuition assistance needs for which ensures student fees are not a barrier to participation at Outdoor Lab. Additionally, the Foundation coordinated 144 volunteers across 10 projects that contributed nearly 1,000 hours of community service to Outdoor Lab, valued at $35,796. We also garnered donations of new outerwear and outdoor gear so that every student had the equipment they needed to stay warm, dry, and safe while on the mountain campuses. These donations exceeded $75,000 in retail value. The Foundation supported the High School Leader Program and the Intern Program at Outdoor Lab by paying for critical training, scholarships, and stipends. In this regard, the Foundation contributed over $50,000 to advance Jeffco student’s career development. In total, the Foundation’s accumulated contributions exceeded $420,000 in the 23-24 schoolyear so that Outdoor Lab can remain a transformative rite of passage for all students growing up in Jeffco.

The Outdoor Lab Foundation was thrilled to be part of the inaugural Outside Festival, an event that brought together the outdoor community in an unprecedented way. Held in Denver's Civic Center Park at the beginning of June, the festival drew over 18,000 attendees, including outdoor enthusiasts and industry leaders. Our booth became a hub for conversations about outdoor education, transformative camp experiences, and special memories from alumni. These interactions reinforced our purpose and provided valuable insights into how Outdoor Lab is important for our community. Outdoor Lab's goals and objectives tie in with the mission of the Festival in so many ways. We're committed to access for all to experience the transformative power of the outdoors. We're committed to educating and guiding Colorado's next generation of land stewards, advocates, and leaders so our natural heritage remains the envy of the country. And, we're committed to building strong partnerships with the conservation, recreation, and environmental education community so that our programs remain on the cutting edge.  The success of this event marks a significant step forward for the outdoor community, and we are proud to have been part of this historic moment. We look forward to building on this momentum and continuing to support the growth and development of outdoor recreation in Colorado through the Outside Festival.  You can read a reflection post from Connor Hall, Colorado's Director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry, here: https://lnkd.in/e-PqiZ4f For more details about the Outside Festival, you can read another great article here: https://lnkd.in/ge9Vt-dE

The Outdoor Lab Foundation is pleased to announce the continuation of our partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to get more young people outdoors and participating in environmental education. CPW recently awarded the Foundation with a grant for $9,000 through their Schools and Outdoor Learning Environments (SOLE) Program! The gift will support our Tuition Assistance Program for sixth-graders and our High School Leader recruitment efforts. We are grateful for the support CPW shows the Outdoor Lab Program each year in ways big and small.

Share your Outdoor Lab short story! 💙 Tell us how Outdoor Lab had a positive impact on your personal growth, learning journey, career decisions, motivation for success, or the way you perceive the world. Reflect on how Outdoor Lab has transformed the lives of your friends or family members, describe the enduring lessons that have shaped and influenced you, or recount your most memorable moment from your time at Outdoor Lab! 💚 Your Outdoor Lab story is important. It will help us educate the public, including decision-makers, about the benefits of Outdoor Lab and outdoor education. ✅ We know that a compilation of Outdoor Lab stories unequivocally demonstrates one truth: Outdoor Lab is transformational! Submit your story on our website at https://lnkd.in/gex5TAVC