$25,000 And How 1 Click Will Make A Huge Difference

1 click and 30 seconds of your time will make a huge difference in the lives of our students.

The Cottonwood Institute is excited to be one of 10 amazing national organizations nominated for the 2011 Markham Vineyards Mark of Distinction Award and a chance to win $25,000.

The top two organizations with the most votes between August 29 – October 3rd, 2011 will each win $25,000. We need your help by Clicking Here to vote daily and to spread the word through email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media networks. If you would like a reminder sent to your calender, send us an Email.

If the Cottonwood Institute wins $25,000, we will:

1. Give low-income students from Denver the chance to camp under the stars for the very first time.
2. Connect children from military families to the outdoors through survival adventures, while their parents are away from their families serving overseas.
3. Help public school students put together projects to address local environmental issues.

Please vote every day between August 29th, 2011 and October 3rd, 2011 by Clicking Here: http://www.markhammarkofdistinction.com

Thank you for your support!



Ford Church, Founder and Executive Director
Cottonwood Institute

Operation Military Kids Course Ignites Passion For The Outdoors

The local fire ban didn’t stop this crew of weekend wilderness warriors from igniting a passion for the outdoors. Cottonwood Institute instructors, Darren Silver, Jason Lawrence, and Aleyna Porreca delivered an action-packed course for children and parents of military families through a collaboration with Operation Military Kids and Colorado Lions Camp.

A fine mix of fun and skills set the platinum standard for this course as we filled our days with survival priorities, shelter-building, stalking, sit-spotting,  service, stewardship, and some tasty grub, including a rare treat of fresh venison!

“I think it was a huge success and should be offered again for military kids. I also asked all the kids what they thought and they all loved it,” commented an Operation Military Kids chaperone who joined us for the first ever OMK Essential Survival Skills course. “I wish it was longer,” said 10 year-old Little John accompanied by military dad, Big John. “Do you offer this for adults?” questioned two enthusiastic parents…

While we quoted General George C. Marshall before dinner Saturday evening: “There’s no limit to the good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit,” we’d like to thank all of the generous sponsors and courageous participants for making tracks with us! Specifically, we would like to thank Operation Military Kids, Colorado Lions Camp, The Kenneth King Foundation, Canvas and Cocktails, and the overwhelming support we received from our donors who made this project possible.

To check out a slide show of the course, Click Here.

This article was written by Jason Lawrence and edited by Ford Church.