Slide Ranch is increasing access to National Parks for fourth graders in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Muir Beach, California – June 28, 2016 – Slide Ranch is one of the 45 non-profit organizations selected to receive a special grant from the North Face Explore Fund in observance of the centennial celebration of the National Park Service. Slide Ranch will use this generous donation to provide immersive outdoor nature experiences to fourth grade students. This project, which is part of the National Park Services’ Every Kid in a Park initiative, will provide fourth graders with the opportunity to camp, hike, and discover the outdoors on federal public lands within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) of the National Park Service. Thanks to this grant, Slide Ranch will be able to double the number of fourth graders it reaches through this program over the next year.
“Slide Ranch is dedicated to connecting kids to nature; so we are a big supporter of the goal of the Every Kind in a Park initiative,” says Marika Bergsund, Slide Ranch's Executive Director. “We’re pleased and excited to be able to use The North Face’s grant to play a larger role in this admirable effort to get more fourth graders out into nature.”
Slide Ranch plays a vital role immersing Bay Area children in nature. Children’s outdoor playtime is at a historic low, despite the demonstrated importance of outside time for proper development. Studies show that kids with more exposure to nature develop resilience, perform better in school, experience improved mental as well as physical health, and become better stewards of the earth. Slide Ranch plants 10,000 kids and families in nature every year, 70% of which are on scholarship. We partner also with more than 100 organizations in the Bay Area to deliver immersive nature experiences on 134 acres of California at its finest within the GGNRA.
“Encouraging people to experience and enjoy the outdoors has been our mission at The North Face since we were founded 50 years ago,” said Ann Krcik, senior director of Outdoor Exploration at The North Face. “We are proud to support these outstanding programs that expose participants to the beauty and joy of the outdoors. Through these Explore Fund grants, we are building a community of outdoor explorers and inspiring people to love and protect the places where we play.”
As part of its mission to start a global movement of outdoor exploration, The North Face introduced Explore Fund (www.explorefund.org) in 2010 and the program has since provided more than $2.2 million in grants to organizations committed to inspiring people to explore the outdoors and care for the environment.
About Slide Ranch
Slide Ranch was made possible by “rebels with a cause” who saved the land from development, plans called for a hotel and an amusement park, by purchasing it and donating it to the National Park Service for the enjoyment of the people of California and the nation. Since 1970 Slide Ranch has been stewarding this special land and operating a coastal teaching farm that welcomes children, youth and families from all walks of life.
To learn more about Slide Ranch visit www.slideranch.org.
About The North Face®
The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1966. Headquartered in Alameda, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company's products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.
Media contact:
Sarah Imber Safdar
On behalf of Slide Ranch
415-692-1392
Caren Bell
On behalf of The North Face
510.748.2742
Caren_Bell@vfc.com