Eastern Outdoor Reps Association (EORA) awarded $4,500 in grants to six youth-based nonprofit organizations through its Outdoor Opportunity Grant Program.

The grant program aims to support local communities in the eastern regions EORA serves. Grantees are chosen based on attributes such as number of youth served, lasting impact, and overall organization strength.
“We’re so pleased to have such qualified candidates for this grant program,” shared Debbie Motz, Executive Director of EORA. “Each organization is doing important work to support youth in a variety of outdoor pursuits.”

EORA’s grant recipients for 2014 include:

  • Urban Promise Ministries, Pennsauken, NJ. Preparing children and youth for academic achievement, life management, growth, and leadership is the mission of UPM. This grant will help purchase new gear for their UrbanTrekkers outdoor experiential program.
  • Adirondack Treks, Johnsburg, NY. This organization helps children foster a love of the outdoors with experiential outdoor education through a variety of activities. The EORA grant will help support their Outdoor Kids program for youth in grades 2 though 4.
  • Spina Bifida Assoc. of Greater New England, Milford, MA. Enhancing the lives of those affected by Spina Bifida is the work of SBA. Their grant will benefit the Get Active Initiative, which encourages and supports participants through a variety of physical activities.
  • Fit Girls of Wilton Maine, Wilton, ME. Fit Girls promotes healthy, active lifestyles for girls, with regular exercise for the body, mind, and heart. This grant will support their after-school program as well as their summer program.
  • Glendale Outdoor Leadership School, Glendale, SC. GOLS promotes quality of life and personal growth through outdoor recreation, leadership, and environmental education. This grant will help support their 2015 National Trails Day event.
  • Street Smart Youth Project, Atlanta, GA. This nonprofit engages, prepares, and empowers minority youth though community-based programs, while emphasizing prevention. This grant will support the outdoor activities of their annual mountain retreat.

Eastern Outdoor Reps Association (EORA) is a not-for-profit association that produces regional tradeshows that bring together over 500 sales reps and 2,300 retailers each year in the Eastern US. Initially focused on traditional specialty outdoor, EORA has since expanded to encompass a wide array of retail categories, including lifestyle, specialty run, bike, resort, paddle sports, and more. EORA was founded in 1979 and has grown steadily in membership over the years.