In 2020, award-winning camping equipment manufacturer Sierra Designs launched Reach Out, an interdisciplinary initiative to increase participation and accessibility in outdoor recreation. Since the program’s inception, Sierra Designs has donated nearly $40,000 in gear and web sales to eight nonprofits dedicated to improving economic, societal, and education access for underrepresented groups in the outdoors.
Further committing to its mission of a more inclusive and attainable outdoors, Sierra Designs announced Reach Out partners for 2022: Women’s Wilderness, Outdoor Asian, LGBT Outdoors, and SOS Outreach.
Beyond $2,000 in product donations and 1 percent of a web sales per quarter, Sierra Designs pledges to provide education, event support and a unique awareness campaign for each participating partner. The brand will use its platform to share each organizations’ mission via social media, email newsletter, and an exclusive partnership with She Explores Podcast.
“Since its founding, Sierra Designs has been about encouraging people to explore the outdoors and get outside their comfort zones, no matter their background or experience level. In 2020, we were excited to create Reach Out as the impact initiative of our business to further this mission through partnerships and philanthropic efforts,” said Zoe Lanterman, senior marketing manager for Sierra Designs. “As an outdoor brand, it is our responsibility to foster and encourage the opportunity for all people to enjoy the outdoors places we love and want to preserve for generations to come,” she added.
Pictured above are the recipients in clockwise:
- Based in Boulder, Colorado, Women’s Wilderness, strives to support girls, women and LGBTQ+ people in accessing their power and improving their health through connections to the outdoors and community.
- Seeking to create a diverse and inclusive community of Asian & Pacific Islanders in the outdoors, Outdoor Asian engages communities with locally based outings and workshops to help create a platform for future API leaders in the outdoor recreation and environmental sectors. With chapters in the USA, Canada, and Italy, LGBT Outdoors encourages and enables members of the LGBTQ+ community to get outdoors and connect with nature and the world around them while breaking down stereotypes towards LGBTQ+ people.
- For more than 25 years, SOS Outreach has provided mentorship and outdoor adventures for kids, giving underrepresented youth the opportunity to thrive.
Throughout 2022, Sierra Designs will also provide gear donations to several other likeminded nonprofits committed to achieving a more equitable outdoors. For more information regarding Reach Out and how you can get involved, visit www.sierradesigns.com/reach-out or contact Katie Richter at katie@darbycommunications.com.
