Outdoor Outreach, the nonprofit organization helping at-risk and underprivileged youth gain confidence and self-esteem through outdoor activities, will host an online benefit auction October 16, 2006. From now through October 7, the organization is accepting product donations for the auction such as apparel, accessories, bags, backpacks, gear, boards, etc. Outdoor Outreach will also have a table at the Action Sports Retailer (ASR) tradeshow, Sept. 8-10, for collecting donations.
“This is a great, stress-free way for companies to clear out some of their excess inventory like outdated product, overstock and samples,” says Outdoor Outreach Founder and Executive Director Chris Rutgers. “Companies can do something beneficial for todays youth while creating a nice tax deduction.” In addition, companies that donate product will also receive full recognition on the Outdoor Outreach website and will be featured in the monthly newsletter.
Outdoor Outreach will then post an official auction site at eBay Giving Works, eBays dedicated program for charity listings and MissionFish, the exclusive charity solution provider for eBay Giving Works which will run for one week beginning on October 16. The auction site can be reached by visiting the Outdoor Outreach site at www.outdooroutreach.org.
Outdoor Outreach focuses on helping underprivileged children living in San Diego County and utilizes positive outdoor experiences such as climbing, surfing, snowboarding, camping, rafting and mountain biking to help the youth attain a sense of accomplishment. The organization, which was founded in 2001, has taken more than 2,700 young people on over 700 outings and in 2005 alone, served nearly 1,000 youth through more than 175 adventures.
A testament to the success of the program, last month, a graduate of the Outdoor Outreach program and current leadership program member, Juan Herrerra, was named an “Outdoor Idol” by the Outdoor Industry Foundation (OIF). Only eight Outdoor Idols were chosen from an extensive list of nominees from across the country. The Idols will serve as ambassadors for the active outdoor lifestyle to the youth market.
