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Oct 1, 2018
Jeanna Matthews
jeanna.matthews@gmail.com
315-250-0566
We would like to find ways to have our education sponsorship funds to touch as many community members as possible and especially local children who might not otherwise be introduced to the Adirondacks. Renee Bennett-Kapusniak, Youth Services Librarian at Saratoga Springs Public Library, reached out to us requesting permission to print out materials from our website to include in a Hiking Backpack she was assembling for children to check out of the library. The backpack will contain things like a compass, head lamp, whistle, maps, a New York Park Pass and the book “Kids on the Trail: Hiking With Children in the Adirondacks” written by chapter members, Rose Rivezzi & David Trithart. It will be the first in a series of backpacks: Let’s Go…Hiking, Let’s Go…Geocaching, Let’s Go…Explore the New York State Parks, Let’s Go…Create Nature Art and Let’s Go…Enjoy Winter Wonders. Each backpack costs between $200- $350 depending on the contents.
Our Laurentian chapter has agreed to sponsor the “Let’s Go..Hiking” backpack and chapter leaders gave great suggestions for how to track the contents and clean/prepare the backpack each time it is returned. Hiking backpack will be promoted at an event held on September 27th when local author and hiking expert, Jim Schneider will do a show-and-tell of the backpack and walk through the basics of planning, packing and hiking, trail safety, etiquette and sustainability tips.
We think this idea could be a great one for many local libraries. Backpacks could be geared to new hikers who would like to bring necessary safety gear without a large initial investment. In the long term, we envision a wonderful synergy with chapter outings. Libraries could include lists of trips that welcome non-members or families and trip leaders could encourage new participants to check out a backpack if they are missing some recommended gear. Chapter members could volunteer to do a yearly show-and-tell of a backpack at their local library. In the short term, we will be tracking the success of the project at Saratoga Springs Public Library and contacting some local libraries to encourage them to try a similar project. If you would like to reach out to your local library or if you know of other projects worthy of some of our educational sponsorship resources, please reach out to me at jeanna.matthews@gmail.com.