FOUNDATIONS BAND TOGETHER TO HELP OUTDOORS TOMORROW FOUNDATION GET SCHOOL KIDS OUTSIDE
November 18, 2020
DALLAS – Major donations from the Weatherby Foundation International and Safari Club International Foundation will help the nation’s leading provider of in-school outdoor education – the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation (OTF) – make its unique Outdoor Adventures (OA) program available to more schools across the nation and get more kids outside.
“This new partnership initiative with the Weatherby Foundation International and Safari Club International Foundation will play a vital role in helping OTF reach its goal of being in 1,000 schools by 2023,” said OTF Executive Director Sean McLelland.
Donating $50,000 to further OTF’s participation in schools, Weatherby Foundation president Ricardo Longoria said, “The Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation is one of the leading organizations working toward expanding youth outdoor education and furthering wildlife conservation efforts worldwide. The Weatherby Foundation International is a proud partner and supporter of the organization and its mission.”
Weatherby joins Safari Club International (SCI) Foundation as the latest major donors to OTF. SCI’s mission of ensuring the future of wildlife through conservation, education and hunting, aligns closely with Outdoors Tomorrow.
“Both of these outstanding organizations share our passion and commitment for educating the next generation of outdoorsmen and women, so that they will appreciate, respect and conserve our wildlife, wild spaces and our outdoor heritage,” said OTF Board Chair Ricky Fairchild. “We’re so grateful for their support in furthering our mission.”
The Outdoor Adventures program offered by OTF is a fun, interactive course where students are taught lifelong skills using an integrated curriculum comprised of math, science, writing and critical thinking. Detailed lesson plans cover angler education, archery, hunter education, boater education, orienteering, survival skills, camping, outdoor cooking, challenge course, backpacking, mountain bike camping, paddle sports, rock climbing, shooting sports, CPR/first aid and fauna, flora and wilderness medicine.
Weatherby and SCI join these other supporting partners:
- Advance Financial Foundation
- Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund
- Conservation Frontlines
- Dallas Safari Club Foundation
- Grand Slam Club/Ovis
- Houston Safari Club Foundation
- IOSH Eastern Priory
- Kinder Outdoors
- McBride Conservation Fund Foundation
- MidwayUSA Foundation
- Nancy Chappelear-Weldon Foundation
- Park Cities Quail Coalition
- N. Family Trust
- RBC Foundation
- Shikar Safari Club International
- Sportsmen’s Club of Fort Worth
- Texas Outdoor Camps
- Texas Wildlife Association
- Texas Youth Hunting Program
- Warren Wildlife Gallery
Professional hunter, outfitter, TV producer and host, Jim Shockey, notes that, “OTF’s turnkey outdoor education curriculum can serve any school public or private.” In Texas last year alone, 13,000 hunter education certifications came from OA students.
In addition to being sanctioned by Texas Parks & Wildlife, OA is now the officially backed educational program for the Oklahoma Department of Conservation, and the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.
Founded in 1981 in Dallas, Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation is a public nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. For many schools, grant money offsets the cost of the program, plus OTF offers matching funds for equipment as new schools join. The resulting classes can be taught as a P.E. course, local elective or with agricultural science and wildlife management.
The Outdoor Adventures education program is offered in more than 620 schools in 39 states nationwide teaching over 60,000 students each year.
For a complete listing of the courses offered through the Outdoor Adventures program please visit our website at www.GoOTF.com.
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Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation
Since 1981, the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation (OTF) has made its mission to teach outdoor education and promote wildlife conservation through the Outdoor Adventures program, currently in 600+ schools across the country. The curriculum, impacting more than 285,000 students since it began, is accessed by 60,000 students annually in 37 states, including archery, shooting, fishing, camping, first aid, boater safety, hunter education, outdoor cooking and more. The OTF also provides grants for equipment, free workshops and teacher training and is accredited by state parks and wildlife commissions from each state. More info about Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation, and how to bring the Outdoor Adventure curriculum to a school near you, go to gootf.com.