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 hat a season! It is hard to know where to begin describing Grand Canyon Youth’s largest season ever! This year has been an incredible learning and growing experience for our organization. After our last trip we will have served over 300 youth from across the country who have completed thousands of hours of community service both on and off the river. The array and depth of the programs offered this season leave me in a humbled state of gratitude for the many wonderful guides, volunteers, drivers, Board of Directors, donors, partner agencies, parents and participants who were involved in some way or another to make this season successful.
To give an idea of the kinds of programs Grand Canyon Youth provided here’s a quick rundown. There were groups from Austin, Texas, Tucson, and inner-city Boston, which included kids whom had never camped a day in their lives. There was an all-girls program from Williams, Arizona that focused on healthy life-styles. Youth from Flagstaff represented four different middle schools and all of the high schools. We worked with the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association’s I-AM Youth program with low-income students from Flagstaff. There was a motor trip in April with Canyoneers and this year marked our fourth annual Hopi Youth Program and third annual Native American Youth Artist trip with artist Bahe Whitethorne. It was our first year doing what we hope will be an annual trip called “White Water Writing,” a program for youth interested in writing who spent seven days with author Craig Childs. A literary journal called “Writing the Waves” will be available for sale from this trip that includes some of the compiled writings from this incredible program. This year also marked our new partnership with River Rampage, a program based in Phoenix that serves young people with disabilities (see article on next page). Finally, teen-agers worked doing on-river science projects in Grand Canyon, Lower Grand Canyon, and the San Juan with scientists studying amphibians, sediment, invasive species, big horn sheep, and helping to complete a survey-point data base with Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center.
Grand Canyon Youth employed 29 guides for our trips this year! These guides brought with them all of the spunk, professionalism, knowledge and sense of humor needed on a youth trip. Several guides worked their entire season or the majority of it with gcy. Three Grand Canyon Youth alumni worked as baggage boatmen and one was a paid San Juan guide. Thank you to all of the incredible guides who contributed to our programs this year with dedication and heart!
This list of accomplishments does not begin to tell the whole story of what these trips mean to the folks who go on them. The intricacy and intimacy of memories from each trip, letters from parents, scientists, and smiles captured on film only go a bit further. Thank you to all of you in the river community who continue to support Grand Canyon Youth whether it’s telling your passengers on a commercial trip, guiding, helping with equipment donations (thank you to Wilderness for a whole lot of sleeping bags!), providing access, donating, coming to our fundraiser, or whatever creative fabulous ways you find to support us, we appreciate it!
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Fall River Runner Film Festival!
Mark your calendars; tell your friends, the Fifth Annual River Runner Film Series and Auction has moved to the fall. Due to our increased volume of spring river programs our annual fundraiser will take place on Saturday, November 5, 2005 at the Museum of Northern Arizona from 6:00–10:00 p.m. This festival will feature films from the National Paddling Film Festival Roadshow sponsored by Paddler magazine which are sure to be thrilling, thought provoking and fun! As in the past the festival is also open to local filmmakers and film submissions are due by October 15th. We are now graciously accepting gifts of art, jewelry, gear, and sponsorship contributions for this great event.
Ways to Help!
As always, your support, in whatever form you can give it, is much appreciated. To learn more about Grand Canyon Youth, to donate, to volunteer, or to guide please call Emma Wharton (928) 773-7921 or email info@gcyouth.org or check out our website, www.gcyouth.org. Again, thank you to all of our current supporters, you know who you are, thanks for all you do! Here is a wish-list of things we could use…
River Gear
• 3 16-foot oar boats with frames
• 2 16-foot paddle boats
• Side Boxes
• River Kitchen
• Heavy-duty shop cart
• New Rocket Boxes
• New and lightly used sleeping bags
• New and lightly used paco pads
• New and lightly used rain gear and fleece
• New and lightly used tents
• New hiking first-aid kits
• New first-aid kit supplies
Office Furniture
• Copy machine
• Paint
• Rugs
• Loveseat
• 3 floor lamps
Small Stuff
• Photo Albums
• Chums (eyeglass holders)
• Toys (football, horseshoes, bocce ball set, volley ball, Frisbees)
Emma Wharton
Executive Director gcy
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