North Face Explore Fund awards grant to: Medicines Global

THE NORTH FACE EXPLORE FUND AWARDS GRANT TO:

Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassador (MGOYA)

with the Los Angeles Police Department PAL programs

LOS ANGELES, CA DEC. 1, 2010– Medicines Global is one of the first initiatives supported at a national level to increase youth outdoor participation, in alignment with the The North Face (TNF) youth “Explore Fund” goals, TNF has awarded a $10,000 grant to Medicines Global to help children and families explore the outdoors.

Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassador (MGOYA) programs integrated the expert services of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers making a unique and sustaining program for under served youths to have opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing and camping. MGOYA develop humanitarian, environmental and nutritional awareness for communities and their youth.

Medicines Global serves as the parent organization for the

Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassador (MGOYA) program created in 2004

The Medicines Global grant was awarded from hundreds of applications. The unique, and innovative approach of utilizing local law enforcement availability of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to lead field trips to provide meaningful outdoor experiences for urban youth, made Medicines Global stand out. The grant is part of the inaugural commitment of $250,000 from The North Face Explore Fund, enabling more than 100 programs that will affect an estimated 85,000 young people.

Janice Belson, Founder and Executive Director of Medicines Global explains MGOYA’s most creative program to date. “MGOYA has incorporated the Los Angeles Police Department as partners in our “Be The One: One backpack at a time, one band aid at a time, one child at a time” program. MGOYA’s collaboration will serve as a prototype for other LAPD programs, throughout the city, serving as a model for police, sheriff, firemen and the like, working with local community schools and MGOYA programs to get youth involved in the outdoors. TNF EXPLORE FUND GRANTS will allow our program to continue and give national recognition to our six-year MGOYA curriculum at Jordan High School, Watts, CA. Since 2004, MGOYA has provided more than 900 Los Angeles students with wilderness experiences that had its initial start up funding with a generous $25,000 KEEN Footwear grant.”

The president of The North Face, Steve Rendle, explains their goals,“Our goal is to enable more people to get outside and explore their world in ways that are meaningful to them. We’re very proud to launch the Explore Fund and support Medicines Global and the other impressive organizations that are making outdoor exploration possible, and a priority, in communities across the country.”

Since it’s founding, the program has provided educational field trips to many National Parks, Beach Clean Ups, traveling Banff & National Geographic film festivals, as well as providing $1000s of Whole Foods Market healthy food donations, etc. The latest partnership with the LAPD has provided five field trips including two recent The North Face Explore Fund grant trips to Sequoia National Park and the Channel Islands National Park. The approach is innovative utilizing local law enforcement in MGOYA programs.

Founder, Janice Belson shares how each program benefits the public, “The barriers broken down: youth out of the concrete jungle where they live; the positive role police officers play in a community that has felt more at odds with “the Law”. The reaction after every wilderness experience has been joy and a desire for more similar programs while encouraging the students’ families to visit National Parks. The effect of these experiences is spread by word of mouth by MG Outdoor Youth Ambassadors to their fellow students.”

Medicines Global

Medicines Global is two fold, founded to inspire all adventure travelers to give back to the places they visit by delivering basic first aid supplies to medical centers and remote community health posts. Medicines Global has provided more than $4.5 million in medical and wellness supplies to underprivileged communities. Medicines Global networks with the outdoor retail industry, natural food industry and medical relief agencies to create ways of delivering critical first aid supplies through the hands of individual adventure travelers. Today they serve both international first aid and under severed urban areas with outdoor youth education programming.

MGOYA has been able to advance the mission exponentially with the support of matching funds and in kind support from: Atmosphere Altshift, Red Wing/Vasque, Warner Music Group, GoPro Cameras, Santa Barbara Outfitters, prAna@Santa Barbara Outfitters, Whole Foods, Paddle Sports of Santa Barbara, LEKI USA, KEEN HYBRID.CARE, BodyGlide, HORNY TOAD, Eagle Creek, erewhon, LAPD, Adventure 16, Trader Joe’s and generous anonymous donors.

VIEW OUR TRIPS:

The North Face Explore Fund grant program provided the opportunity for MGOYA to launch on Oct 7-9, 2010 taking 18 Jordon High students to Sequoia National Park.

http://vimeo.com/16176455

Oct 7-9 2010

MGOYA LAPD TNF Explore Fund

Sequoia National Park

The North Face Explore Fund grant program provided the opportunity for MGOYA to organize with 4 female LAPD officers a Sea Kayak Day at Channel Islands National Park empowering 14 young women from Jordan High.

Nov 2 2010 MGOYA LAPD/PAL GoPro

The North Face Explore Fund Vasque

Channel Islands National Park

http://vimeo.com/16755979

Medicines Global

Medicines Global “WALK” on You Tube.

~ Four Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassadors from gang ridden inner city Los Angeles trek through Nepal in 2007 delivering medicine and aid to people in need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuxY-8m8oYU

“What if every adventure traveler became a courier of much needed medical supplies to every corner of the earth? What impact would that simple act of kindness and care have on healthcare across the globe?”

~ Michael Hodgson, Editor, SNEWS

http://www.medicinesglobal.org/

MEDICINES GLOBAL REACHES THE GALAPAGOS OF THE NORTH>>Channel Islands National Park http://channelislandsoutfitters.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/medicines-global-reaches-the-galapagos-of-the-north/

To learn more about Medicines Global and MGOYA visit: medicinesglobal.org

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Medicines-Global-GB/179542572310

About The North Face Explore Fund

The North Face® Explore FundTM is a grant program committed to supporting nonprofit, community organizations that break down the barriers preventing children and families from experiencing the outdoors. The Explore Fund, administered by The Outdoor Foundation, finds, engages and provides funding for new partners that help further the mission of inspiring the next generation of explorers and conservationists by helping them discover nature’s playground.

About PlanetExplore

PlanetExplore is an online community founded by The North Face, powered by partner organizations that share a passion for the outdoors, and designed to help individuals and families learn about and participate in outdoor activities and events in their area. PlanetExplore is a portal to the outdoors designed to inspire and enable people of all ages to become regularly active outside, and to enjoy the benefits gained through a connection to nature.

For more information, please visit our websites:

The Explore Fund www.explorefund.com

Planet Explore www.planetexplore.com

Contact: Organization Contact Janice Belson Organization Name

Medicines Global Phone Number 310-469-2804 Email Address jb@medicinesglobal.org

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