Top 10 Inspiring Stories From 2011

2011 has been a phenomenal year filled with amazing accomplishments, awards, and inspiring stories about our students getting outdoors and taking action to make a difference in the community. Here are our top 10 favorite stories from 2011:

1. Earth Task Force Recognized for National Green Prize and Receives $10,000 Check!

2. Cottonwood Institute Wins $25,000 and 2011 Markham Mark of Distinction Award

3. A Meal For Many: New Vista High School and The Kitchen Restaurant Host Local Lunch 2011

4. Earth Task Force Students Win the Center For Resource Conservation’s Youth Conservation ReWard

5. Green Dress Exchange: Earth Task Force Re-Thinks Prom

6. West Denver Prep “Whips” Into Shape This Spring!

7. West Denver Prep Students Learn About Liquid Gold

8. Casa de la Esperanza Girls Gobble It Up

9. “Sit and Listen” – Operation: Military Kids Overnight Teaches More Than Just Survival

10. Cottonwood Institute Hosts Environmental Leadership Summit With Johnson & Wales

The Cottonwood Institute would like to thank all of our students, parents, instructors, board members, educational partners, donors, supporters, and cheerleaders for making 2011 such a success.

To help ensure we have an extraordinary 2012, please consider making a tax-deductible donation by December 31, 2011 by Clicking Here.

Cottonwood Institute Impact Surges in 2011

As I reflect about the impact the Cottonwood Institute had this past year, I am delighted to see our impact surge in 2011.

We do a lot more that just connect kids to the outdoors. In the words of one of our instructors Madeline Bachner, “Our courses are centered around cultivating direct action for positive change, appreciation for nature, an interest in environmental issues,  a passion for community involvement, and inspired service.”

As you and your family consider supporting your favorite charities for Colorado Gives Day and during the holiday season, here are a few reasons to invest in the Cottonwood Institute:

STRONG PARTNERSHIPS: We served over 350 youth and delivered over 13,000 program contact hours in 2011 and we couldn’t have done it without strong partnerships from:

• West Denver Preparatory Charter School serving low-income public school students in Denver, CO.
• New partnerships serving diverse students from Casa de la Esperanza, Lakewood High School, GOAL Academy, Johnson & Wales University, Buckley Air Force Base, and Welcome Home Warrior.
• New Vista High School serving public school students in Boulder, CO to deliver the Community Adventure Program and support the Earth Task Force. 

ACTION PROJECTS: Our students recorded over 6,000 environmental service-learning project hours completing “Action Projects” to help address local issues in their schools, the community, and the environment. Here are a few highlights:

• A Meal For Many: New Vista High School and The Kitchen Restaurant Host Local Lunch 2011
• West Denver Prep Students Learn About Liquid Gold For World Water Monitoring Day
• Gardening Made Simple and 100 Ways To Change The World
• West Denver Prep “Whips” Into Shape This Spring

AWARDS: The Cottonwood Institute and our students received three key awards in 2011 and it is great to see our hard work be recognized on a local and national level:

• Cottonwood Institute Wins $25,000 and 2011 Markham Mark of Distinction Award
• Earth Task Force Recognized for National Green Prize and Receives $10,000 Check!
• Earth Task Force Students Win the Center For Resource Conservation’s Youth Conservation ReWard

AMAZING INSTRUCTORS: Anyone can write a lesson plan, but it takes gifted instructors to deliver and facilitate a high impact program. We could not do what we do without April Pishna, Madeline Bachner, Paige Doughty, Paul Dreyer, Clark Patton, Tim Joynt, Kristin Maharg, Ryan Johns, Jason Lawrence, and all of the other phenomenal instructors we have the honor and privilege of working with each year.

Finally, I wanted to share a quote we read to  students at the end of our courses:

 

“Don’t be on the sidelines, be on the court of life. Don’t go through this world on autopilot. Don’t always take the easy path. Don’t go through this world with blinders on. Go through this world with wide-angle vision, be a leader, challenge yourself, walk your talk, take the initiative, step up when others won’t, because in the end that’s what life is all about. Your community needs you, the environment needs you, the world needs you. We need your energy, your voice, your perspective, your optimism, your hope.” – Anonymous

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Ford Church, M. A., Founder and Executive Director
Cottonwood Institute

CAP Takes A Bite Out of Healthy Eating

The Community Adventure Program (CAP) rounded out 2011 with a great project on healthy alternatives to fast food.  The students researched and used  experience with their peers eating habits to shape a project based on finding healthy and affordable alternatives to the easily accessible fast food chains near the school.  CAP students became interested in a few different aspects of eating well: from thinking about waste in restaurants and packaging, to how animals are treated,  the distance the food travels to get to your plate, in addition to basic nutrition.

The class had a great resource experience meeting with Whitney Johnson, Whole Foods’ healthy eating specialist and hearing from their meat department.  They learned about the ways that animal lifestyles are qualified for meat labeling in the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Program.  The class toured the different departments of Whole Foods looking for nutrition, less packaging and good deals.  They also made delicious and simple black bean humus with Whitney’s assistance.  The deli was very kind to the students, providing a late lunch with lots of yummy options and highlighting their new deal of 5 choices for $5 starting this winter.

CAP finished the quarter with a presentation about what they had learned and a plea to their fellow students to be thoughtful about their eating decisions.

The class’ closing remarks from their presentation were as follows:

“We all knew that fast food was bad for us, but we didn’t know what went on behind the scenes.  We all live in a time where we’re trying to make a change.  What we put into our bodies is a big part of our lives. Know what it is you’re eating.  We can’t force you to eat better, but it’s your choice to eat well or eat badly.  Keep in mind what’s in the food you’re eating, and how far it’s traveled to get to you.  It costs a little more to eat real food, but it’s worth the price.”

A huge thank you to Whitney and Whole Foods for providing us with great resources and ideas!

CAP Students Reflect On Another Amazing Quarter

As Community Adventure Program (CAP) students reflected on another amazing quarter, they came together as a class and had a blast learning and playing on their overnights and at school.  They researched food issues and developed a great sense of what goes into making and eating quality food. But, as usual, the main takeaway was an appreciation of the outdoors and each other.

“Going through this class made me gain a stronger sense of acceptance, respect and teamwork!”    – Zoe Clark

The overnight weekend was a huge success.  There were some great moments shared and remembered from looking out over the valley towards Long’s Peak.  Many students commented on the vast stretch of trees and amazing feeling of not seeing much evidence of people.  The CAP class made a solid quinzhee on our overnight and learned a lot about staying warm in the Colorado winters.  They worked well together, and played even better.

“CAP was much more than surviving in the wilderness, it was about having fun while you learn how to keep yourself safe and really paying attention to what’s going on around you in the world you live in.”  Jordan Hartnett

The class grew in their awareness of the world and how we treat it.  They looked forward to class and time to work on their project.  They were a fun talkative group that put some great effort into their learning.

“I rarely look forward to classes, but this was one I was happy to have in the afternoon as it was always a really mellow class where we could talk about different issues and learn about the wilderness.”   Kai Sharp

Donate to the Cottonwood Institute for Colorado Gives Day Today!

Colorado Gives Day is officially two weeks away on Tuesday, December 6, 2011, but you can set up your donation to the Cottonwood Institute today! With your help we can meet our end of the year goal to raise the critical funds we need to help connect diverse students to the outdoors and empower them to tackle local issues in their schools, the community, and the environment.

What is Colorado Gives Day? Thanks to the generous support of the Community First Foundation and FirstBank, Colorado Gives Day is a campaign designed to encourage people like you to “give where you live” to support your favorite local charities like the Cottonwood Institute!

How You Can Help Right Now: You don’t have to wait until December 6th, you can schedule a donation for Colorado Gives Day right now by Clicking Here. Please make sure you check the box that says: “Schedule Donation For Colorado Gives Day.”

How Your Donation Will Help: Your donation will help students like Jesus and his classmates from West Denver Prep explore the outdoors and address water pollution issues at Sloans Lake in Denver, CO.

More Reasons To Give: 100% of donations made through GivingFirst.org will benefit the Cottonwood Institute and our programs with no credit card or administrative fees. Donations made on December 6th will help the Cottonwood Institute receive a percentage of a $300,000 fund set up to encourage people to donate on Colorado Gives Day in addition to bonus bucks and other prizes announced throughout the day.

If You Already Made A Donation: If you already made a donation in 2011, thank you so much! Please encourage your family, friends, and colleagues who care about youth, education, and the environment to donate to the Cottonwood Institute on Colorado Gives Day, by Clicking Here and spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, and Google +!

Casa de la Esperanza Girls Gobble It Up!

Gobble! Gobble!  “I saw a turkey!”  That was all it took. If there were any reservations about hiking earlier in the day, those dissipated as soon as the girls eyed the turkey off in the distance.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it was only fitting to find wild turkeys on our first outing with our newest partner, Casa de la Esperanza in Longmont, Colorado.  Casa de la Esperanza is a residential community owned and operated by the Boulder County Housing Authority, dedicated to helping agricultural workers.   Their learning center provides educational and recreational services to Casa residents, including an onsite after-school program and academic center.  Cottonwood Institute has teamed up with them to offer a girls empowerment course and plans are in progress to offer a boys program as well.

On an unusually warm fall day in early November, the girls, ranging in age from 8 to 14, headed to Heil Valley Ranch just outside of Boulder for a day hike and an introduction to survival skills.  While the turkeys and their tracks were the highlight of the trip, the girls also sipped on some pine needle tea, practiced fire skills, enjoyed a yummy lunch, and even managed to find time for a hike.

At the end of the day, nobody wanted to leave.  One of the girls was especially excited to stay, “I wanna go home, I mean right here in the woods, I wanna live here!”  And they all followed that thought with, “We wanna go camping!”  Here’s to more adventures with the girls from Casa de la Esperanza.  Who knows?  Maybe a camping trip or two could be in their future!

Click here for a slideshow of the day’s adventures.

Snowballs and Quinzhees with Lakewood High School!

Picture this: The peaceful silence of snow-capped mountains towering above a vast blanket of white…WHOOOSH! The silence changes quickly into peals of laughter as 11 pairs of boot-donned feet trample quickly out of range of the next onslaught of snowballs.

For Cottonwood Institute, an early snowfall doesn’t hinder survival courses; in fact, they just become more exciting. On a late October day, a group of Lakewood High School students and their teachers headed to Conifer for a day of survival skills and snowballs. While most focused their efforts building a quinzhee shelter by piling up massive amounts of snow and then digging out the inside, a few remained dedicated to the constant snowball fights that kept everyone entertained throughout the course.

The quinzhee did take up most of the course, but there was still time to work on fire skills, discuss survival scenarios, and enjoy a hearty lunch under the bright blue Colorado sky. All in all, it was a successful day as evidenced by the amazing quinzhee shelter built and the few snores that accompanied the bus ride home.

Click here for a slideshow of the day’s adventures.

A special thanks goes out to Wildland Awareness Educational Institute for use of their land outside of beautiful Conifer, CO!

Community Adventure Program Students Brave the Cold!

With wind chills predicted at 0 degrees Fahrenheit, the brave students from this quarter’s Community Adventure Program (CAP) at New Vista High School  headed to the mountains near Allenspark, CO to take part in their first overnight of the class!  Several students had never camped before and many had never been winter camping.  With a week of preparation under their belts they set off, with many layers, to experience the Colorado outdoors in early November.

As the group drove into the mountains they took stock of how much snow had accumulated in hopes of building a quinzhee shelter.  The construction is quite simple, but requires some labor.  It is built by piling snow then hollowing out the pile after it has settled.  The dome shape and strength of the settled snow combine to make a structurally stable shelter that can be quite warm for 2 or 3 people. After setting up camp the group got to work piling snow for their own quinzhee.  A hike up the hill to take in the view of Long’s and Meeker’s Peaks gave enough time to let the pile settle and after just over an hour of trading off digging out the shelter they had created a sturdy quinzhee.  For the ultimate test, one adventurous student even slept in it overnight.  The group took it down the next day and everyone was surprised at the strength of the structure as 8 students stood atop the quinzhee and could not break it down without shovels and a lot of energy!  Check out the video below.

A few other highlights of the trip included an amazing moment watching clouds move quickly over the waxing moon, changing the light in a beautiful nighttime display. The group also had a great time playing a camo game and honing their stalking skills, as well as learning to use senses other than sight in the evening drum-stalk.  CAP students had a wonderful time and learned a great deal that they can put to use on their next winter outing in December!

A big thanks to the Cheeley Family for the use of their land and the drivers who helped us get to our site.

Exploring the Wilds of the Colorado Mountains

From the wilds of the city to the wilds of the Colorado mountains, students from West Denver Prep’s Lake Campus embarked on a journey to learn how to survive amidst the chill of a fall weekend.  Cottonwood Institute teamed up with West Denver Prep’s enrichment program to give kids the opportunity to connect to the outdoors, learn more about the environment, give back to the land, and then connect their experience to their everyday lives.

After setting up camp at Calwood Outdoor Education Center near Jamestown, the group went on an interpretive hike to learn more about their surroundings and become more attune to nature.  They learned how to foxwalk, played a variety of nature awareness games, and practiced several ways to make fire. But wait, the fun was not over yet.  Students were eager to try out their foxwalking skills in the dark while participating in the blind drum stalk, in which students are blindfolded and then proceed to find their way through the woods back to camp using only the sound of the beating drum.  As the stars lit up the night sky, everyone gathered around the campfire to enjoy smores and reflect on an active, yet exciting day.

The next morning dawned bright and early, and after a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and all the fixings, it was off to give back to Calwood for generously donating their land for our overnight.  The students worked together, lifting and dragging logs to cover up an old trail.  Their strong work ethic continued over into the first part of making debris shelters.  But as the afternoon wore on and students became worn out, their efforts waned and shelters took a backseat to rest and snacks.  While the students were tired at the end of the adventure, there were still smiles and laughter to be had by all as everyone clamored into the van and headed back into the wilds of the city.

Click here for a slideshow of the weekend’s adventure.

Reflective Fall Retreat for Earth Task Force

On Friday October 7th, the members of Earth Task Force (ETF) headed up into the mountains for a fall retreat at The Highlands Camp and Retreat Center in Allenspark, Colorado.

The trip was planned and facilitated by students and ETF mentors with borrowed gear and organizational help from The Cottonwood Institute to help them pursue their goal of rekindling their passions for environmental sustainability while also reconnecting with peers outside of school. The ETF knows that time in the wild is an important part of staying grounded while working on the tough issues that environmental sustainability can pose.

The group enjoyed hiking, climbing, and exploring in the breathtaking landscape of the Colorado Rockies.   They also partook in cooking adventures, playing in the woods, and singing around the fire.  While many stayed in cabins, a few of the braver students slept in tents.  In the morning, they awoke to snow on the ground with delicate flakes still falling.  The superheroes spent time talking about what inspired them to make change in the community and about their plans and ideas for the coming year.

One member said, “You can hear the most depressing stories, but when I see a group taking action to make change, no matter how small, I am never depressed.”  The retreat achieved the goals to reconnect and plan for the coming year.  The time away reminded students and mentors of the precious land they are working to protect.

Click here to read more about what motivates these amazing teens!

Article written by Earth Task Force member, Raina Galbiati, and edited by Paige Doughty.

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