Big City Mountaineers (BCM), a leading provider of outdoor experiences for youth from unfairly marginalized communities, expands partnerships for the third annual National Summit Day. Yeti, Helly Hansen and Waypoint Outdoors joined BCM and BACKPACKER Magazine on August 1, 2020 to help celebrate the mountain community by inviting hikers to register and get outside.
To celebrate, BCM and BACKPACKER invited hikers around the country to help celebrate their favorite mountains and the people that climb them by hosting a virtual Summit Day After Party. Hikers were encouraged to join virtually after their respective hikes for a party filled with restorative yoga, skills sessions and live music. This after party provided a unique opportunity to fundraise for BCM’s programs, which have provided over 47,000 nights under the stars for youth that may not have had the opportunity otherwise.
“This fundraising event is a highlight every year.” Said Bryan Martin, executive director of BCM.“ This year we are very proud to expand our partnerships with some leading brands in the outdoor space to foster a significant fundraiser opportunity for our programs and encourage people to spend more time outside.”
As the title sponsor for this year’s event, Yeti donated 100 mugs and 20 coolers that were utilized as incentives for people to join and donate. Helly Hansen donated 10% of sales online and through participating retail stores and Waypoint Outdoors fielded a team that raised $1,500.
National Summit Day was considered a great success with 200+ registered hikers on the Backpacker website, 9,000+ viewers for the virtual Backpacker afterparty and an additional 8,000+ viewers logged-on for the Backpacker “campfire” session.
In total over $15,000 was raised with $9,200 coming from BCM’s website, $1,500 from Waypoint Outdoors and $5,000 from Helly Hansen sales.
Big City Mountaineers (BCM) provides free – fully outfitted and professionally led – backpacking trips, paddling expeditions, and camps so all youth can access the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits of being connected to nature. Research shows that experiences in nature reduce stress, improve physical health, advance education outcomes, and build civic mindedness. Unfortunately, not every young person has the same opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and are unable to take in all the benefits of being connected to nature in an equitable way. BCM’s model removes material and social barriers to participation outdoors by acting as a hub between the outdoor industry, youth-serving community-based organizations, caring adult mentors, and professional experiential educators.
To learn more, please visit www.bigcitymountaineers.org
