ello friends! Well, Spring is finally here. I know this because all of the freshly washed river gear I had organized in the back yard got buried under about 20 inches of fresh snow on April 1! This is a sure sign that things are moving toward yet another lovely season of unpredictability in Grand Canyon. In order to keep this unpredictability to a minimum, here¹s a brief update as to the general happenings over the last few months with regard to Grand Canyon Youth (gcy).

First off, we¹ve been making lots of phone calls and scheduling meetings in an effort to establish a Board of Directors and an additional Advisory Committee. The response has been phenomenal and our first organizational board meeting was scheduled for April 15th. These two groups will help to direct the efforts of gcy, and will bring in lots of experience with (among other things) establishing by-laws, addressing liability issues, and writing grants. The level of experience and general public commitment that these folks bring to our organization is incredible! They all deserve a hearty thanks, and we will recognize them individually in the next bqr.

In early March, gcy received a $5,000 grant from the Colorado River Conservation Fund (crcf). This gracious gift came at a crucial time for us, and we wish to extend a huge Thank You to the folks at the crcf! Part of the money was used immediately to pay for our Non-Profit Incorporation and to establish our 501(c)3 tax exempt status. The remaining money was used to set up scholarship funds for future Youthkateers. How cool is that?! Yahoo!!

On the subject of scholarships, our Adopt-a-Youth program is up and running and we have already received a couple of responses. The program is set up to allow Canyon lovers like you to sponsor a child for part or all of their river trip cost. This is crucial, as some of the kids are coming to us from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and your gifts could make all the difference in the world to them. Remember, our non-profit status allows you to claim any donations made to gcy as a tax write-off. If you love the Canyon, this is an excellent opportunity to share it with a kid who may otherwise never get to experience the wonder. So go on, sign up and write it off. It¹s fun!

We also recently received several generous donations of office supplies and river gear. Thank You! This is good because we need lots of it! If you have extra outdoor-type clothing that you don¹t wear anymore, river equipment of any kind that¹s clogging up the garage, or outdated computer/office supplies lying around, please consider sending them our way. We will put them to good use, and again, these donations can be written off of your taxes.

If you didn¹t make it to the gts this year, you probably haven¹t seen the new Grand Canyon Youth t-shirts. The artwork was created by Karen Knorowski, local Flagstaff artist extraordinaire. Thanks Karen! These shirts feature graphics on both the front and back, and are just incredible looking. If you want one, you can write, call, or fax us (see below), or stop by the gcrg office in Flagstaff. The shirts are $20 each, and they don¹t just look good; they feel good!

At this point, we¹d all like to tip our hats to the folks at gcrg. They have been allowing us to make a ³home² out of some of their office space, and everyone there has been really supportive. A special thanks goes out to Lynn for being Lynn, and also to Chris Geanious for setting us up with a link on the gcrg website. You guys rule!

That¹s it for now. Thanks again to all of you folks who put energy into making dreams come true for young people. If you like the sound of what we are doing and want to get involved, get in touch! We¹ll be hard at it between now and the next bqr issue, and should have plenty more to share then. So, now you¹re poised on the edge of the chair with a desire to sponsor a youth, donate some raingear, or buy a killer t-shirt. Here¹s how to get in touch with us: Grand Canyon Youth Box 23376 Flagstaff, az 86002 Phone: (520) 773-7921 Fax: (520) 773-8523 Web link: http://www.gcrg.com

Jeff Pomeroy