In its ongoing commitment to working with non-profit, social and environmental organizations, Keen is pleased to announce new partners and expanded programs for the Keen Footwear Foundation in 2006.
Entering into its 2nd year, the Keen Footwear Foundation is adding two new non-profit groups to its ever-expanding list of partner organizations: Healing Waters and American Whitewater.
Healing Waters is a non-profit organization (www.hwaters.org), whose mission is to educate, inspire and enrich the lives of men, women and teenagers living with HIV/AIDS. Between 40,000 and 50,000 Americans become infected with HIV every year. Half of them are between the ages of 13 and 24.
Healing Waters program Liquid Camp is a river kayaking camp, offering young adults a safe place to learn a new skill, make new friends and develop positive self-esteem and a positive approach to living with HIV/AIDS. With the Keen Footwear Foundations support, Healing Waters will be able to increase the number of camps in 2006.
Also for 2006, Keen contributions will aid American Whitewater (www.americanwhitewater.org) in its quest to restore ecological health and recreational opportunities to the Catawba River watershed in North and South Carolina. Efforts will improve the quality of life for residents of the Catawba watershed, while providing restored habitat for many native species of plants and animals and the Keen Foundation grant will help aid them in their efforts.
“The Keen Footwear Foundation is most interested in building relationships with organizations that identify and work on root causes of problems and that approach issues with a commitment to long-term change,” said Bobbie Parisi, Vice President of Marketing at Keen. “Weve enjoyed great success with our current roster of partners and look forward to contributing to the development of these two new programs with Healing Waters and American Whitewater.”
Recently, Keens support of Medicines Global, an organization committed to inspiring and educating adventure travelers to give back to the places they visit, changed the lives of five high school students from Watts, California. Through the Outdoor Youth Ambassador Program, the Jordan High School students traveled to refugee camps and hospitals in southwestern Sri Lanka, delivering hundreds of thousands of dollars in medicines and supplies for tsunami relief.
“What an honor to be involved in such an incredible program,” said Janice Belson, Executive Director of Medicines Global. “Keens support not only gave students an incredible opportunity to learn about the needs of 3rd world countries first hand from the Minister of Health, the Mayor of Colombo, and directors of regional hospitals; it will also help Medicines Global provide longer-term support and communication in the coming years.”
Keen Footwear encourages its industry partners, customers and retailers to visit www.keenfootwear.com to learn more about the causes it has chosen to support, and how to become more involved-not just with the non-profit organizations that Keen Footwear supports, but in their own local communities and charities that inspire them. ” In addition to Healing Waters, American Whitewater and Medicines Global, the Keen Footwear Foundation currently supports:
The Conservation Alliance (www.conservationalliance.com) a coalition of outdoor industry companies whose annual membership dues are donated to grassroots environmental organizations.
Big City Mountaineers (www.bigcitymountaineers.org) an organization devoted to providing significant mentoring during wilderness trips for urban teens participating in existing youth development programs.
The Surfrider Foundation (www.surfrider.org) — a non-profit, grassroots environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education
Leave No Trace (www.lnt.org) for more than 25 years the mission of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has been to promote and inspire responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships.
