Thermacell Repellents, a manufacturer of area mosquito repellents and other insect control solutions, has donated $20,000 to Big City Mountaineers (BCM). Through its fundraising initiative, Summit for Someone, a group of Thermacell employees climbed Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern United States, to help BCM facilitate transformational wilderness experiences for under-resourced youth.
Thermacell matched donations of employees and family members whom raised $10,000 to climb Mt. Washington in honor of Big City Mountaineers.
“Thermacell’s gift goes beyond its monetary value,” says Bryan Martin, executive director of BCM. “The climb demonstrates a deep understanding of our vision at BCM to enable all youth to experience the outdoors, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds. We would love to see other companies embrace Summit for Someone climbs as an opportunity to make a large impact for BCM youth while fostering deeper and lasting relationships within their own organization.”
Since its inception in 1990, BCM has sent nearly 10,000 youth on week-long backpacking trips that foster critical life skills like decision-making, goal-setting and bolstering self-esteem. Big City Mountaineers now offers trips to underserved youth in 10 metropolitan areas including Denver, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Boston.
The organization’s fundraising initiative, Summit for Someone, gives more people the chance to fundraise for BCM while completing a rewarding climb such as Mt. Washington. The program offers assisted climbs from an impressive list of peaks around the country, allowing participants to experience the comradery and transformative power of a tough climb while ensuring a similarly challenging outdoor immersion for youth at BCM.
“The Mt. Washington climb resulted in a great partnership,” says Steve Hill, CEO of Thermacell. “It was an inspiring experience for our employees, which drove comradery and tighter working relationships at Thermacell. More importantly, their efforts serve to empower kids through BCM in the future.”
