Girls Education International could win a $25,000 grant if you vote now

Heidi climbing during HERA Climb4Life, SLC, 2007, photo by John Evans

December 1, 2008—Heidi Wirtz, professional climber and The North Face Athlete, up to win the $25,000 Inspiring Soles Award

The North Face athlete and professional climber Heidi Wirtz, co-founder of the nonprofit Girls Education International (Girls Ed), was notified in October that she was one of five semifinalists for the Inspiring Soles Award. Votes are now being collected to choose the finalist at the Inspiring Soles Website. Wirtz is the only climber in the group of athletes nominated for the award. Previous climbers who have won the award include Timmy O’Neill, who works with the disabled.


Heidi building a roof on a Moroccan House. Photo by Kris Erickson

Created by Crocs Inc. and Outside Magazine, the Inspiring Soles Award celebrates athletes who have dedicated their lives to shattering boundaries and raising awareness for meaningful causes. Wirtz has worked tirelessly for the past two years on fundraising and implementing projects for Girls Ed, and over the years she has regularly volunteered for HERA Climb4Life events, the Khumbu Climbing School and the dZi Foundation.

As a semifinalist, Wirtz received $5,000 to donate to the charity of her choice plus $500 worth of Crocs merchandise.

“It was fantastic to win $5000,” said Wirtz of the award. “It will pay for our Liberia Scholarship Program (LSP) through spring of 2010.” Implemented as Girls Ed’s first major project, the LSP provides $71 per year, per child to 47 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia so they can pay their school fees.

As a finalist, Wirtz would win an additional $25,000, a Crocs shopping spree, a trip to Santa Monica, a full-page profile in Outside Magazine and a PSA ad for Girls Education International.

“If we win the $25,000, we could also pay for the viability assessment we need to do in a remote village in the Hushe Valley of Pakistan where we want to renovate a girls’ school,” Wirtz added, enthusiastically.

Girls Education International seeks to raise awareness and funds to help educate women and girls in impoverished areas in the mountainous regions of the world. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org or write to girlsed@gmail.com.

Heidi in Morocco, photo by Kris Erickson


Heidi in Morocco, photo by Kris Erickson

Climber-Run Nonprofit to Hold Benefit Dance Party at the B Side Lounge in Boulder, CO

Girls Education International, a nonprofit organization founded by The North Face athlete Heidi Wirtz and Rock & Ice senior contributing editor Lizzy Scully, will be hosting a late-night dance party fundraiser at the hippest new club on the Front Range, the b Side Lounge Restaurant in Boulder, Colo., 13th street between Pearl and Spruce, on Thursday, October 9, from 9:30 p.m. to 1:45 a.m.
The fundraiser includes goodie bags for the first 25 people through the door, a wine tasting provided by Redwood Creek Winery, FREE beer and hors d’oeuvres until 10:15 p.m., $5 Grey Goose Cosmos all night, and a tiered raffle for everything from artwork to quality outdoor goods. Live VJs will keep the beat going until 1:45 a.m. Music by: Jayce, Dirt Monkey, 1KONOKL4ST, Super Tuesday, along with a performance by the Kaivalya Hoopers. All proceeds will benefit GEI’s projects in Nepal, Liberia and Pakistan.
Because GEI is staffed entirely by volunteers, it is able to give 90% of its funding directly to the girls and schools it supports. Money goes for school renovation assessments, scholarships, books and uniforms.
Girls Education International seeks to raise awareness and funds to help educate women and girls in impoverished areas throughout the world, and will particularly support an ongoing girls scholarship program in Liberia and a new project in northern Pakistan. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org.

Marilyn Price Founded Trips for Kids

Shelah Moody, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, August 17, 2008

Longtime environmentalist and bicycle enthusiast Marilyn Price uses her passions to improve the lives of poor children. In 1986, Price founded Trips for Kids, a Marin County nonprofit that provides job training and outdoor activities for young people.

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"We take about 1,300 to 1,500 kids a year on daylong mountain bike rides, through Marin County, state and national parks," she said.

While she once aspired to become a social worker, she found that organizing mountain bike adventures was the perfect outlet for her to help young people. Price got the idea more than 20 years ago when she was biking on Mount Tamalpais.

"I was looking across the city; I used to volunteer at St. Anthony Dining Room, and I was remembering that area and the kids that used to live there," she said. "I thought it would be nice to bring them on a mountain bike ride to Mount Tam."

Since it incorporated as a nonprofit in 1988, Trips for Kids has benefited 14,520 children from more than 300 Bay Area schools and youth-service agencies. In 1999, it became a national program; it now has 64 chapters in the United States and Canada.

"For seasoned bicyclists, the day trips don't seem difficult, but for the children, it's a new experience, being out on a mountain bike, and going for several hours at a time," Price said. "It's a real challenge. ... They learn that if they just stick with it, they can make it. They get the encouragement of volunteers and the other kids."

In 1994, Price and the Trips for Kids staff opened the Re-Cyclery at 610 Fourth St. in San Rafael, which Price says is the largest bicycle thrift shop in the country.

"We also get donations from bicycle manufacturers around the country," she said. "(Re-Cyclery) helps provide affordable transportation for people and funds more than 50 percent of Trips for Kids."

The Earn a Bike Program, which was set up primarily for children in San Rafael's low-income Canal district, is a major component of Trips for Kids. The program teaches kids how to fix bikes so they can earn points toward bikes of their own.

As executive director of Trips for Kids, Price rode on biking trips for 10 years. Now she works 70 hours a week in the office. Price, 67, who has two adult children and four grandchildren, also spends 45 minutes a day riding her mountain bike to stay in shape. She said her goal is for Trips for Kids to become as prominent as the Boys and Girls Club of America.

"We are very proud to have started this idea in Marin and to have it take hold across the country," Price said. "It's a testimonial to what we're doing and to just how much people love the mountain bike."

For more information, go to www.tripsforkids.org

SmartWool Receives Local Philanthropic Award for Business Practices

Steamboat Springs, CO, July 31st, 2008 — SmartWool, Inc. was recently recognized as “Business Philanthropist of the Year” by the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. The award was accepted at the 11th Annual Celebration of Philanthropy Dinner ceremony honoring local individual, youth and business philanthropists for their vision, contribution and broad impact on the community.

“We are honored to receive this distinction from the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. It’s wonderful to be a part of a community that is home to so many fantastic non-profit organizations that really do make a difference in people’s lives,” states Mark Bryden, SmartWool President. “With so many opportunities, the giving part is easy and it feels good.”

SmartWool is committed to leaving “a smart footprint” on the planet for future generations. An example of this commitment is the company’s policy to provide 40 hours of paid leave per year for each full-time employee to volunteer their time for a nonprofit organization. In 2007, SmartWool employees volunteered 1,000 hours in their community. In addition, once a year the office is closed for a community service clean-up day, which was recently held at Hinman Campground in North Routt.

“We are proud to recognize and honor SmartWool, a company that actually lives the philosophy they promote to effect positive change in the world. They generously contribute funds, products, as well as the valuable time of their employees to help nonprofits and worthy causes in our community and beyond,” states Betsey Jay, Executive Director of the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. “They really ‘walk the talk’, which is pretty cool for a company that makes socks and so much more.”

In addition to product donations, SmartWool also contributes ten percent of every website order to the Advocacy Fund. The advocacy program is comprised of two separate funds and financed by separate revenue sources. The SmartWool Advocacy Program is funded by a percentage of net sales of SmartWool® products sold on www.smartwool.com. Additionally, a percentage of net sales from SmartWool “Pink Ribbon” socks go to the SmartWool Breast Cancer Fund. Since its inception four years ago, the SmartWool Advocacy Program has donated monetary as well as products in-kind to deserving non-profit organizations. A group comprised of SmartWool employees makes the final decisions on which worthy causes receive donations.

A Bicycle Changed My Life

HIGH BRIDGE, New Jersey (CNN) -- "The thought that I can reach out and permanently improve someone's life for the better is addictive," says Dave Schweidenback.

Several times a year, the 55-year-old can be found prepping large shipments of used bicycles bound for a developing country. For Schweidenback, gathering and breaking down these bikes is a labor of love -- one that is helping to keep the bikes out of landfills and give them new life.

"Used bicycles can transform the economic and social condition of families," says Schweidenback. "[They] give people access to jobs, health care and education that is too distant for walking."

Since 1991, Schweidenback's nonprofit Pedals for Progress has collected and shipped more than 115,000 used bicycles to 32 developing countries worldwide, where they are sold at a low cost to local residents like Don Roberto Garcia.

"A used woman's mountain bicycle changed my life," says Garcia, 54, a house cleaning supplies salesman in Nicaragua who works six days a week to support his six children and buy medicine for his wife, who suffers from cancer.

For 20 years, Garcia walked six to seven hours a day, hauling his merchandise in a wheelbarrow along a 6 mile route. This earned him $2-$3 a day.

"More than anything, I would always return home so tired from the walk," Garcia recalls.

Little by little, Garcia saved his money and was able to buy a used bicycle six years ago from a Pedals for Progress partner agency in Jinotepe, Nicaragua.

"Because of a bicycle, I now earn about $4 a day," says Garcia. "I sell more and I do my rounds quicker. I tell everyone to go buy a bicycle."

The seeds for Schweidenback's Pedals for Progress were planted years ago while he was volunteering for the Peace Corps from 1977-80 in Ecuador, near the Amazon Basin.
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"Besides the bus that comes through town and one guy that owned a pickup truck, everybody walked everywhere all the time," he recalls.

"My landlord was the exception because he owned the only bike in a 500-mile radius. He was the most successful man in the region because he could access a job and get wherever he needed to go."

Years later, Schweidenback noticed used bicycles at garage sales and in garbage cans throughout his New Jersey community.

"I remembered how [the need] in developing countries was so great, that I couldn't stop thinking about it," he says.

Knowing the bikes could be put to better use, Schweidenback asked members of his community to donate 12 used bicycles; he planned to send them to Ecuador. The community brought him 140. Within a year, Schweidenback had created Pedals for Progress and shipped roughly 500 bicycles to developing countries.

Today, Schweidenback organizes 140 used bike drives each year and, on average, collects 90 bicycles in three hours. Donors are asked to pay a $10 fee per bike to help cover shipping costs and reduce the cost of the bicycle when it's sold overseas. Each bike is sold for about $15.

"There's a bike that's unloved in every garage in this country. Rather than put these old bikes in landfills for no reason, we can use them as economic stimulus to aid our neighbors," Schweidenback says.

"This is the transfer of wealth between nations because these have great value overseas. And they give people the ability to hold a job or a child the ability to go to school."

Pedals for Progress bicycles have been sent to countries in Central America, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. For Schweidenback, knowing he's making an impact keeps him going.

"You can change someone's life with your bike."

Chaco Proudly Sponsors National Geographic Adventure Lecture Series with the Green Living Project™

Paonia, COLO, July 14th, 2008 — Chaco, the maker of the finest quality adventure footwear, is teaming up with the Green Living Project™ this summer to help promote its lecture series taking place at various R.E.I., LL Bean, and Eastern Mountain Sports locations across the U.S. and Canada.

Presented by National Geographic Adventure, the nationwide Green Living Project™ Lecture Series is a must-see, multi-media event for any Africa enthusiast, adventure traveler or sustainability advocate. The lecture will revolve around an expedition led by the Green Living Project™ that documented sustainability projects across Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania in March 2008. Also the series will include valuable tips about responsible adventure travel including the latest new eco-lodges, wildlife conservation, alternative energy, community projects, and volunteer opportunities throughout East Africa.

“Chaco is thrilled to be part of this great opportunity with the Green Living Project,” said Brian Scranton, Director of Marketing at Chaco, “We are passionate advocates of alternative forms of education. Rob and his team are providing an incredible venue for developing nations to learn about ways to jump over the industrial age and go right to a sustainable way to live”.

Chaco will be onsite giving away two pairs of shoes at each event. Below is a listing of the date and locations of the lecture series. All lectures start at 7:00pm.

GLP Lecture Series:
June 16 Rancho Cucamonga, CA REI
June 17 Arcadia, CA REI
June 26 Seattle, WA REI
July 2 Santa Monica, CA REI
July 16 San Diego, CA REI
July 17 Santa Ana, CA REI
July 21 Fort Collins, CO REI
July 22 Denver, CO REI
July 23 Colorado Springs, CO REI
July 24 Boulder, CO REI
July 29 Berkeley, CA REI
July 30 Corte Madera, CA REI
July 31 Saratoga, CA REI
August 12 Portland, OR REI
August 18 Framingham, MA REI
August 19 Newton, MA EMS
August 20 Boston, MA REI
September 17 Sacramento, CA REI
December 6-7 Freeport, ME L.L. Bean


Green Living Project (GLP) is a media production, marketing and entertainment company that showcases sustainable initiatives around the globe. Through photojournalism and video, GLP aims to educate, inspire and entertain while encouraging individuals and communities to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

Since 1989, Chaco has been designing and producing the finest and best fitting footwear available. For more information on Chaco products or philanthropy, contact Kristen Zemeitus, Carmichael Lynch Spong, kristen.zemeitus@clynch.com, or 781.544.3674.

Rock/Creek & Chaco Invite You to Take a Step Against Poverty

Chattanooga, TN, July 18th, 2008 — Take a step against poverty. Trade in your old but usable clean shoes for a 20% discount on a new pair of Chaco footwear. Your trade becomes a donation as Rock/Creek and Chaco will send the shoes to third-world communities in need. The shoes can be donated online or in any of Rock/Creek's Chattanooga, TN stores. Customers can donate any brand or model of shoe, as long as it is a clean, usable, and well constructed piece of footwear. Online instructions for donation can be found on Rock/Creek's Chaco Donation page: http://www.rockcreek.com/chaco/recycle/

The program begins today, July 18th, and continues until August 2nd.

This year marks the forth consecutive year of Chaco's recycling campaign. Since the start of the program in 2004, Chaco and the company's recycling program partners have distributed nearly 15,000 pairs of sandals to poverty stricken areas of the globe. Rock/Creek joined the recycling partnership in 2005 and since then the store's loyal customers have donated more than 320 pairs of old shoes. This support makes Rock/Creek one of Chaco's top donating partners.

"We're pleased that Rock/Creek will again apply their passion and commitment to our recycled shoe promotion. Our joint effort to provide shoes to those in need can and has made a difference to thousands of people." said Ann Ellinger, Sr. Marketing Coordinator for Chaco.

SHOES SAVE LIVES

Footwear donated from the 2008 campaign will support the elimination of Hookworm anemia in Sub-Saharan African villages. It has been estimated that as many as 1 in 3 people in Sub-Saharan Africa are affected by Hookworm anemia. The hookworm, a soil-born parasite, enters through bare feet and resides in the small intestine of its host. If the parasitic condition is left untreated, severe anemia and malnutrition will result. The condition will slowly advance until a blood transfusion becomes necessary for the infective individual's survival. In developing nations the cost of transfusion is often prohibitive and risky. Prevention, through the use of protective footwear, has been proven to prevent hookworm anemia. Through the 2007 Chaco recycling program an entire village in Uganda was outfitted with shoes--a simple solution that completely eliminated hookworm anemia in the village.

In previous years the program has supported communities in India and Nepal. Chaco's program has also impacted communities closer to home. After Hurricane Rita devastated the Gulf Coast region in September 2005, Chaco and participating retailers collected over 400 pairs of footwear and distributed them to displaced hurricane victims in affected areas of Louisiana.

"Sustainability typically is defined as the long term balance between the environment, the economy and the needs of society. By offering customers the ability to recycle old footwear through donations to developing countries, and purchase a new pair of Chaco shoes at a discounted price, the program touches on all three corners of sustainability. This is certainly a model program for all companies considering sustainability initiatives," said Brad McAllister, Sustainability Adviser for Rock/Creek.

Rock/Creek and Chaco have partnered several times in the past on business oriented sustainability initiatives. In April, Rock/Creek was approached by Chaco and the Arbor Day Foundation to run a special tree planting campaign. During National Arbor Day weekend, a tree was donated for every pair of Chaco sandals purchased at Rock/Creek. Over 300 trees were planted through the partnership. The promotion, dubbed "Buy One, Get One Tree," ultimately supported the planting of over 800 trees.

Additionally, Rock/Creek and Chaco are currently offering limited edition Chaco Z2 sandals. $20 from the purchase of each pair of Chacos goes to support low impact, responsible climbing access through donation to the Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC). To date, the sandal purchase program has raised over $20,000 for climbing access, including a $10,000 donation to the SCC in 2007. The limited edition sandals can be purchased at any one of Rock/Creek's Chattanooga stores or online. More information on the limited edition Chaco sandals can be found online at http://www.rockcreek.com/chacos/limited-edition.asp


About Rock/Creek:

Rock/Creek, member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, is an independent specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, travel, and everyday living. Rock/Creek is committed to fostering positive change. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve public access to the backcountry. Rock/Creek supports worthy nonprofits such as the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition and the Wilderness Trail Running Association.