Tom Vogl
As I reflect on where we are as an organization, I am humbled and grateful.
Our community has proven itself to be remarkably resilient. In spite of all the challenges of the last two years, our member base has grown to exceed 15,000 people for the first time. Volunteers are building back our courses and activities to pre-pandemic levels. Our youth programs have expanded, filling an important need for families facing shifting dynamics.
The Mountaineers exists not only to celebrate individual adventure and ambition, but to invite more people to enjoy, discover, and conserve the natural world. As we look toward the future, we are inspired by the ways we can lean even deeper into our mission. Will you consider making a donation this week?
We are hoping to raise $40,000 this month, and we are already 75% of the way to that goal!
Your gift now will support our mission by:
- Providing need-based scholarships for youth and adults to attend activities and courses
- Sustaining a gear library to provide technical and seasonal gear to families and groups
- Subsidizing Mountain Workshops, which provide custom activities for youth who may not otherwise be able to access outdoor adventure programming
- Creating leadership development opportunities for 3,000+ volunteers that make activities, courses, and seminars possible
- Fueling the ambitions of Mountaineers Books to champion emerging authors, document the stories of our outdoor communities, and engage readers around some of the most pressing threats to our natural world
- Moving the needle on conservation and advocacy priorities through meetings with key leaders and leveraging our 30,000 subscribers to the Conservation Currents newsletter
We are optimistic that our community will continue to thrive, but recognize that we must invest more heavily in our operations and vision. Getting more people outside means supporting more volunteers, providing more conservation training, and finding more ways to make activities and courses accessible for everyone. It also means that we can engage more people to advocate for protected places, reach out to new and underrepresented communities, and breathe fresh life into our education programming for youth and adults.
I am beyond grateful for my experiences connecting with others and the natural world by being outside - whether on a mountaintop or in my neighborhood park. I imagine that you can relate. I hope that you will join me in donating to help open up more of these opportunities for future generations.
As a 501(c)3 organization, gifts made to The Mountaineers are 100% tax-deductible. The Mountaineers, Tax ID 27-3009280, is located at 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115.
