Peak 7 Adventures, an outdoor adventure organization based in Spokane, Washington, aims to help teens find the purpose they’re searching for by taking them out of their existing environments and introducing them to the great outdoors. The organization's ACA certified raft guides, ACA certified kayak instructors and highly experienced WFR certified guides and volunteers lead participants on whitewater raft trips, ascent (multi-day backpacking) trips and rock climbing trips along with other outdoor adventures around the Pacific Northwest. It targets youth who are underprivileged or have been labeled "at-risk."
Peak 7 launched in 2006 and since then has served roughly 4,750 youth across the Northwest, working with groups such as YMCA juvenile programs, psychiatric treatment centers and refugees. It is the only organization of its kind in the Northwest, and in the past year it has expanded by opening offices in Seattle and Portland, Oregon. In 2009 alone it led more than 100 adventure trips and spent roughly 13,600 hours with youth. The organization's mission is to provide low prices and scholarships so that no young person is denied the opportunity to experience the adventure. As a result, it relies on individual and corporate donations, both cash and in-kind gifts such as food and gear, to subsidize its trips.
Gear donations have risen from $150 in 2006 to $79,197 in 2009 and now over $150,000 for 2010, thanks to generous partners such as Mountain Gear, Marmot and Ibex. Through supporting Peak 7, outdoor companies are finding an opportunity to give back to some of the most vulnerable populations in their communities in a way that aligns directly with their own industry and interests.
Peak 7 is a 501(c)3 non-profit with 8 year-round employees, 12 seasonal staff and 87 active volunteers. For more information, visit peak7.org.
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