KEEN, Inc. the footwear brand on a mission announced that nine grassroots organizations will become the 2021 KEEN EFFECT Kids Grantees, receiving a total of $100,000 in grants and KEEN footwear because of their continuing work to inspire outdoor access and inclusion for underserved communities.
Today’s children spend less time outdoors than any other generation, devoting only four to seven minutes per day to unstructured outdoor play while spending an average of seven and a half hours in front of electronic media. Youngsters from underserved communities have less access to nature and outdoor activities.
The KEEN Effect 2021 grant recipients increase outdoor access in their communities and, in many cases, provide “first-time experiences” with outdoor activities such as hiking and swimming. The nine grantees are:
- Chicago Adventure Therapy
- CorpsTHAT of Baltimore
- Elevate Youth of Boston
- Georgia Audubon Society of Atlanta
- GirlVentures of Oakland.
- Glacier Peak Institute of Darrington, Washington
- Happiness is Camping of Blairstown, New Jersey
- Honor the Earth of Callaway, Minnesota
- Youth Garden Project of Moab, Utah
“Outdoor play improves kids’ physical and mental health and leads to an appreciation for the environment. The decline in outdoor play and rise in screen time is alarming. These non-profit organizations share KEEN’s mission of ensuring everyone, especially kids, has access to the outdoors,” said Erik Burbank, vice president of The KEEN Effect. “KEEN is proud to support these groups working tirelessly to make sure that more kids experience the outdoors, away from the screen that has occupied us all, especially during COVID. Promoting outdoor play is at the heart of our efforts and we cannot wait to see what our grantees achieve this year.”
Since 2014, KEEN partners have brought more than 133,700 kids outside for high quality recreation, nature-based education and environmental stewardship. KEEN continues to build a more inclusive and accessible outdoors, full of formative experiences and lasting values built outside.
To learn more about The KEEN Effect, visit www.keenfootwear.com/the-keen-effect.html
