Big City Mountaineers (BCM) said Eddie Bauer CEO Neil Fiske and world-renowned mountaineer Ed Viesturs have joined its National board of directors.
BCM has long partnered with outdoor industry businesses, specifically manufacturers, to provide urban youth with transformative outdoor experiences. The addition of Fiske and Viesturs adds momentum to the organizations bold vision to transform the lives of thousands of kids and inspire youth to choose a brighter future-a future that embraces education, purpose, and self-worth while rejecting delinquency, violence and drugs.
Fiske comments, I am delighted to join the board of directors, to connect Eddie Bauer with the BCM mission, and to support kids and climbers with Eddie Bauer gear. We are committed to supporting new adventurers, and this partnership helps us convey our values to our customers. As a sponsored First Ascent guide, Ed also demonstrates his dedication to this important work consistently.
As a long-time supporter of Big City Mountaineers, Viesturss decision to join the board demonstrates a natural progression in his involvement with the organization.
Big City Mountaineers does great work with under-served youth, and I am inspired to help leverage my experience, relationships and passion for climbing to benefit kids who need it most,” says Viesturs. “One of my sponsors, SOLE, directly supports BCM by donating $1 for every pair of my Signature EV Ultra Footbeds sold, generating close to $100,000 for the organization in the past few years. Developing more collaborations like ours will enable BCM to change more lives through wilderness mentoring expeditions that instill critical life skills.
BCM builds creative collaborations with outdoor industry manufacturers, like Eddie Bauer and SOLE, to get more kids into the outdoors, helping companies ‘do business while doing good by connecting emotionally with consumers and gaining competitive advantages by showing commitment to societal needs. This shared value is a priority BCM seeks to produce in legacy and emerging partnerships.
Board President, Jeff Weidman says, Ed and Neil are tremendous leaders. Our Board is very strong and focused on the vision of changing more kids lives. The addition of these two captains of industry, along with other new Members, will strengthen our ability to serve our partners, increase support for youth and expand into retail relationships to enable greater community support for our mission.
Founded in 1989, Big City Mountaineers is a non-profit organization that changes the lives of under-served urban youth through wilderness mentoring expeditions that instill critical life skills. BCM partners with a vibrant network of youth-based agencies to provide youth the opportunity to experience the beauty and challenges of the wilderness alongside supportive adult role models. BCM programs improve self-esteem, integrity, responsibility, decision-making abilities and communication skills of more than 600 youth annually.
