Did you hear?… REI announces grants from its REI Foundation Memorial Fund

Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) announced grants today from its REI Foundation Memorial Fund to two search and rescue organizations — the Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Team and the Central Massachusetts Search & Rescue Team. REI established the Memorial Fund in 1992 in honor of two employees who lost their lives while climbing Mt. Rainier and annually provides grants to search and rescue organizations nominated by REI employees. The company continues to make donations to the fund in memory of employees who have passed on. In related news, REI has also awarded a $32,000 grant to sponsor the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA) Youth Corps. The CDTA Youth Corps is a new initiative designed to engage young people in the completion of the 3,100-mile Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT). The CDTA Youth Corps will employ 20 young people, ages 17-25, for 10 weeks on the scenic trail in Colorado in 2002. The goal is to duplicate this model in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and New Mexico in subsequent years.