Campaign aims to engage entire industry in collective effort to get more kids recreating outdoors
San Juan Capistrano, CA -(AmmoLand.com)- As the outdoor industry prepares to make its pilgrimage to Salt Lake City for Outdoor Retailer, a new, first-of-its-kind program is gaining serious momentum.
In April, Outdoor Retailer, in partnership with the Outdoor Foundation, launched the Give Back Badge program in an effort to engage the entire industry in a collective effort to get more kids recreating outdoors. The idea has caught on.
Thus far, more than 90 outdoor brands have signed up to participate in the initiative – giving each of their Outdoor Retailer attendees a ‘Give Back Badge’ and ensuring that an equal number of kids will have a park experience.
The idea is simple. For just a $15 donation, outdoor companies and individuals can give a park experience to a young person and get a special Outdoor Retailer Summer Market badge that includes commemorative, originally designed artwork from Jeremy Collins. 1 badge = 1 kid outdoors. If every Outdoor Retailer attendee participated, more than 35,000 kids would have a meaningful park experience.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Outdoor Retailer and engage the entire industry in an important, collective effort that has the potential to connect tens of thousands of young people with the outdoors,” said Chris Fanning, executive director of Outdoor Foundation. “It is our goal that every single Outdoor Retailer attendee get involved, join their peers and help us get 35,000 kids outside. There is nothing more important to the future of the outdoor industry and the health of our outdoor places than inspiring a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts and stewards.”
Funds will be donated to the Parks4Kids program, an initiative of the Outdoor Foundation and Outdoor Industry Association, which supports projects across the country that connect young people to parks. Launched at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, the program has already helped give outdoor experiences to more than 20,000 youth.
“The Give Back Badge program is a wonderful collaborative effort that has given Outdoor Retailer the opportunity to support the Outdoor Foundation with their noble mission to get kids out to our national parks,” said Marisa Nicholson, VP and show director. “We are so pleased to see that the outdoor community came together to shares their passion, as a result, kids across the country will have the opportunity to experience the adventure and excitement that the outdoors has to offer.”
Companies and individuals interested in participating should visit the OIA / Outdoor Foundation booth #BRL200 during Outdoor Retailer, make a donation and transform their OR Badge into a “Give Back Badge.”
The Outdoor Foundation:
Philanthropic arm of Outdoor Industry Association, the Outdoor Foundation is dedicated to inspiring and growing future generations of outdoor leaders and enthusiasts. Through groundbreaking research, youth engagement and community grant-making, the Foundation works with young leaders and partners to mobilize a major cultural shift that leads all Americans to the great outdoors. In just five years, the Foundation has invested $4 million into 500 not-for-profit and college programs that have connected 200,000 young people to the outdoors. Importantly, 90¢ of every dollar goes directly into this critical work. Visit us at OutdoorFoundation.org.
About Outdoor Retailer:
Outdoor Retailer (OR) brings together retailers, manufacturers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of outdoor recreation through tradeshows, product demo events and web-based business solutions. Produced by Emerald Expositions and based in San Juan Capistrano, California, Outdoor Retailer also provides and promotes retailer education, advocacy, responsibility and critical face-to-face business initiatives within the outdoor industry.
Consistently named among Trade Show News Network’s 25 fastest-growing tradeshows by attendance, Outdoor Retailer (outdoorretailer.com) connects approximately 50,000 attendees on a semi-annual basis for its Summer and Winter Market shows, and thousands more through its year-round online resources and platforms.