OUR PARKS | YOUR ADVENTURE
Itching for adventure this summer? We’d like to invite you to join Our Parks | Your Adventure (OPYA) - a “choose your challenge” adventure fundraiser. We're extending the challenge to everyone in our community, and together we hope to raise $60,000 for Mountaineers youth programs.
Designed to inspire you to get outside and celebrate our wild places, the OPYA challenge is a fun way to challenge yourself while doing good for our community. From urban parks to National Parks and everything in between, we want you to to challenge yourself to achieve a new goal this summer and garner support as you go.
Participating is easy. It works like this: you pick an outdoor object to complete in June or July, we set up a profile for you to share your challenge, and then you ask your friends and family to financially support your efforts to celebrate our wild places while benefiting The Mountaineers. It’s basically like the “Climb to Fight Breast Cancer”, only you get to pick what you are doing (and how much you’d like to raise, starting at just $100).
Sign up is easy too. Use the green button below to view our Challenge page, and select the blue “join roster” button to join the team! You can sign up right now and create a profile, then edit later as you finalize your goal. Once you’ve created an account, our support team can make edits too,and will be here to support you for the entire challenge.
Choose YOUR challenge!
Adventures come in all shapes and sizes - the only important thing is that you are challenging yourself to get outside and enjoy our wild places. Here are a few examples to get you dreaming (or check out this list of Must Do PNW adventures):
- Hike Mailbox Peak for the first time
- Tour all of Seattle’s urban parks
- Climb Mt. Stuart
- Kayak the San Juan Islands
- Surf the entire West coast
- Scramble to the top of Haystack on Mt. Si
- Ski from the top of Washington’s volcanoes
- Hike a trail in each of Washington’s three National Parks
- Paddle Diablo and Ross Lakes
- Bike from Seattle to Paradise
- Try stand up paddleboarding
- Visit a national park/monument/recreation area you’ve never been to, like Ebey’s Landing or Lake Roosevelt
Raising money is easier than you think. Just like when you were a kid and raised $1/lap for walking at a walk-a-thon, you pick a challenge and ask your friends and family to support you. We’ll do all of the heavy administrative lifting - you just need to pick a challenge then share your message and the donations will come rolling in.
If you’re interested in participating but have questions, please email kristinac@mountaineers.org. Together, we can mold the next generation of fierce protectors of our wild places.
FAQ
WHAT IS IT? An adventure-based fundraising event to inspire outdoor enthusiasts to take on exciting adventures in our public parks while raising funds to support our youth programs! Participants choose a Mountaineers-esqe adventure such as climbing, hiking, photographing, kayaking—the opportunities for adventure are endless—in one of our National Parks. No adventure is too big or too small: so lace up your boots and join us!
HOW DOES IT WORK? Members from our community sign up for an adventure of their choice and pick how much money they'd like to raise, from $100 - $5,000. Using their personal fundraising page on RallyMe, Adventurers will share their challenge and ask for support from friends and family to support Mountaineers youth programs.
WHEN IS IT HAPPENING? Your OPYA challenge should be completed from from June-July 2017, and adventurers can begin raising money in May 2017.
WHY SHOULD I JOIN? To give more youth more outdoor experiences. Studies show that fewer kids are getting outside. We're committed to getting kids outside and our youth programs introduce the benefits of outdoor recreation skills, healthy lifestyle, perseverance, self-confidence, self-reliance, and cultivate an interest in preserving our wild places.
DO I NEED TO BE A MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE? No! Everyone is welcome to raise money for The Mountaineers, and if you raise $500 or more we'll give you a free year membership.
WHAT IS THE TOTAL FUNDRAISING GOAL? Help us raise a total of $60,000 to support our youth programs to get more kids outside!
WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T HIT MY PERSONAL FUNDRAISING GOAL? We want you to set a goal that is both ambitious and achievable. We will work to support all of our Adventurers to hit their fundraising goal, but if you come in short, that's okay. We appreciate your time and effort. If you are worried about hitting your goal, you can set a lower goal to being with and revise it later once you knock it out of the park.
DO I HAVE TO PAY TO PARTICIPATE? No. Participation is free and all are welcome to join.
How do I get involved?
Step 1: Visit our RallyMe fundraising page and sign up for the roster. You'll be prompted to fill out a profile. We'll be in touch with additional support.
Step 2: Ask for support. Talk to family, friends, pets, whomever about the importance of getting kids outside and ask for donations to support our youth programs. No amount is too big or too small - every little bit counts!
Step 3: Spread the word. Share your profile page and goal on social media. Inspire your social media friends to Adventure, too! And know that we'll be here to support you every step of the way!
*Use the hashtags #ourparksyouradventure or #OPYA to track your photos and find photos of fellow adventurers!
CAN’T ADVENTURE BUT WANT TO HELP?
Your donation to The Mountaineers is tax deductible and helps us execute on our mission to get more people outside while working to protect the outdoor experience.