Adidas Outdoor Sponsors L.A. Non-Profit to Take High Schoolers Outside

Recently with the aid of Adidas outdoor gear and fiscal sponsorship MGOYA participated in the annual Friends of Joshua Tree event, Climb Smart 2012. Fourteen, San Pedro High School students from the Police Academy Magnet & the Marine & Math Science Magnet spent three days in Joshua Tree National Park camping, hiking and learning climbing skills.

“For more than a decade I have followed Medicines Global’s innovative programs created to encourage adventure travelers to deliver basic first aid supplies to places they visit,” said Larry Harrison, Adidas Outdoor director of sales. “Greg Thomsen and I, here at adidas Outdoor, are excited to support Medicines Global with their international programs and with their brilliant concept of utilizing local law enforcement to “Get kids Moving” in the wilderness”

For the third year in a row, Medicines Global has taken inner city students from Southern California to learn to climb with world renown climbers at Climb Smart. As a guest of Friends of Joshua Tree, Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassadors (MGOYA) were invited for the weekend’s events in Joshua Tree National Park, Oct. 19-21, 2012. http://www.friendsofjosh.org/

The new sponsorship from adidas Outdoor and the ongoing support of GoPro, Red Wing/VASQUE, Adventure 16, erewhon Natural Foods Market, Avon Rent – A – Car and KIND Healthy Snacks, have also made it possible for the MGOYA team to go sea kayaking in the Channel Islands, surfing in the South Bay of LA, camping in Yosemite and Death Valley, to engage in photo essay contests, to learn about gigapixel high rez digital photography from pioneering digital photographers and to visit the Annenberg Space for Photography and the Griffith Observatory.

“It is not everyday when a program like Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassadors comes along,” said Sandy Martin-Alvarenga, San Pedro High School Magnet Coordinator (Math & Marine Science/Technology Magnet: Police Academy Magnet). “ In fact it is very, very rare for our students to be given opportunities like this. We are so fortunate to have Johanna and Janice Belson and Medicines Globalworking with San Pedro High School. It is life changing for our students to have a chance to get out of the city and touch our mountains and oceans. I know each and every Outdoor Ambassador will never forget these experiences that Medicines Global is providing.”

Johanna Belson, Director MGOYA, added “In addition to bringing the wilderness to as many inner students as possible we hope to inspire them to bring the love of the wilderness back to their family and friends through state of the art photography. We are thankful to GoPro for making it possible for us to excite our students in this way. On a Joshua Tree trip earlier this year MG Outdoor Ambassadors learned about gigapixel digital photographer from Eric Hanson of xRez Studio. Eric photographed our students. At Climb Smart we gave Mark Butler, Superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park a few of these photographs.”

MG Outdoor Youth Ambassadors encourage, educate & inspire their fellow students to experience wilderness activities and other creative activities. Medicines Global has the support of the principal, magnet coordinator and many teachers at San Pedro High School. San Pedro High School is the lucky beneficiary of the good work Medicines Global is engaged in this academic year. With the encouragement of Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa Johanna and Janice Belson, the co-directors of Medicines Global, are working to expand programs locally & nationally.

Since its inception, MGOYA has provided more than 1,000 urban youths with outdoor adventures. Medicines Global activities have been supported by: Go Pro, Red Wing/VASQUE, adidas, The North Face, KEEN Footwear Foundation, LEKI USA, Horny Toad, SMITH Optics, Mountain Hardwear Gives Back Foundation, Eagle Creek, GoLite, Isis, BodyGlide, Adventure Medical Kits, Napapijri, and BodyGlide plus other members of the Outdoor & Natural Food Industry.

Medicines Global (501c3), is dedicated to inspire all adventure travelers to give back to the places they visit by delivering basic first aid supplies to medical centers and remote community run health posts. Since 1999, 17 expeditions have taken medical supplies to Nepal, Mongolia, Tibet, Guatemala, India, Ecuador, Siberia, Sri Lanka and El Salvador.


The Medicines Global team is seeking sponsorship for its fall 2013 Nepal Expedition as well as support for the continuation of MG’s global networking to adventure travelers and domestic efforts to “GET kids MOVING”.