2020 Annual Report
Each autumn, we follow up with our community and sponsors to let everyone know how the year went. Although there were many obstacles this year, we still made tremendous progress and hosted a group of 14 high schoolers on a weekend program in October. Below is a summary of our year and details about money raised and spent.
Summary
Most of what we planned for 2020 was foregone due to COVID-19. We canceled summer programs, four workshops during the spring, and the outdoor movie night/fundraiser. Nevertheless, Origin Expeditions made tremendous progress. Between private donations and a contribution from Founders Brewing Company, we raised $4550 monetarily. Osprey Packs donated 12 brand new expedition backpacks (roughly $2500 in value) to support programs for years to come. Kate's Real Food also donated dozens of bars to a program in October.
We partnered with Kingsley Outdoor Adventure Club (KOAC), a program formerly supported by 4H through Michigan State University. Without an official platform to host the club, Origin Expeditions adopted KOAC, and its assets, including canoes, trailers, and an assortment of camping gear. The partnership expands the parameters with which Origin Expeditions can operate in the future and the network of students who will attend programs.
We will spend the remainder of the year preparing programs and fundraising for the year 2021.
Programs and Results
On October 3, 2020, Origin Expeditions hosted 14 students from Kingsley High School along the North Country Trail for a weekend. Over two days, core topics introduced included camp construction, packing a backpack, water purification, backcountry cooking, LNT, orienteering, and species identification / wild edibles. Our post-trip survey shows that all students had a positive experience (an average score of 4 on a scale of 1 to 5).
All students report that they learned new skills, to work with others to accomplish goals on their trip, and felt engaged in lessons and tasks. It's worth noting that most students reported not feeling engaged by assignments and homework in school on the pre-trip survey.
All students report feeling motivated to spend more time outdoors, protect the natural world, live healthy lifestyles, and be proactive members of their community after their trip, increased from our pre-trip survey.
Nearly every student plans to attend another Origin Expeditions Program.
Though there was high confidence that there were no infections amongst members entering our program, our COVID-19 mitigation protocol was successful considering members did not display symptoms after the course, and those tested showed negative results.
Financial
Throughout 2020, we raised $7420 worth of resources. We spent a total of $1010 on new gear, food, gasoline for our October program, as well as operational costs (website hosting services).
Of what we raised, $4780 was cash. Founders Brewing Company donated $2500 to reserve for 2021 program scholarships for individuals within their community in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Sand Hill Angels donated $1000, which we will also reserve for 2021. A family from Durango, Colorado, donated $1000, most of which we used to cover the operation costs of the October program, as well as purchase new gear for our organization to use for years to come.
Osprey Packs donated 12 backpacks, valued at $2520 in total retail value. This contribution was massively beneficial to our program. While the KOAC had a small inventory of camping gear such as cooking pots, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags, they had no backpacks. As such, this contribution allowed us to support 12 additional students while saving monetary resources for scholarships and other gear.
Kate's Real Food offered their continued support once again and donated 4-dozen bars to the October Program.
Additionally, other private donations raised roughly $280.
In addition to the 12 backpacks donated by Osprey, we used funds raised to acquire two new stoves, fuel bottles, an MSR cooking pot, eight headlamps, and one additional pack.