L.L. Bean is extending its support of the national parks community with a multi-year, $3 million premier partnership with the National Park Foundation for the Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque movement.
The movement inspires people of all backgrounds and abilities, including outdoor enthusiasts and novices, to discover and share their own unique connections to America’s national parks.
The partnership aims to raise awareness about park experiences to match all interests, highlighting lesser-known national park sites across the country.
“National parks are some of America’s greatest treasures, and we want to help make it as easy as possible for people to find a memorable adventure. People might be surprised to discover how close many of these parks are,” said Shawn Gorman, L.L. Bean’s executive chairman and great-grandson of L.L. Bean. “The outdoors is part of our company’s history, heritage and DNA. Like the National Park Foundation, ours is a legacy rooted in the outdoors that began more than a century ago and will continue long into the future. Both organizations have always been committed to getting people outside, so this partnership makes fantastic sense.”
“L.L. Bean’s investment helps power the movement to connect more people from all walks of life with the natural, cultural and historical treasures found across the National Park System,” said Will Shafroth, president of the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. “Once people discover how accessible these places are, they develop a lifelong passion for exploring and protecting them.”
L.L. Bean has enjoyed a history of partnering with NPF, including a $1 million donation in celebration of L.L. Bean’s 100th Anniversary in 2012. The donation was used to help bring youth from underserved communities into the parks for a variety of outdoor excursions. In addition, L.L. Bean has provided annual support to the Island Explorer propane bus system in Acadia National Park for many years. In 2016, the company pledged an additional $1 million through 2021 to help provide eco-friendly, free transportation to over three million visitors to the Maine national park.
