Supporting our communities of color in Teton County is more important than ever.
Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the international awakening around systemic racism and inequity, our world has been forced to rethink many of the ways we go about our everyday lives.
This has been a difficult year for everyone, there’s no way around that. But the youth we serve, primarily from low-income communities of color, are being impacted at far higher rates and in much more personal ways.
The COVID-19 pandemic shines a bright light on the inherent brokenness and inequity of our society. The youth we serve–both in Jackson and on the Wind River Indian Reservation—are often living in overcrowded conditions, do not have the educational or technical resources to learn in an at-home setting, and have parents who are either out of work or continuing to work in risky situations. The impact on these families is massive.
The work of Coombs Outdoors has always been about addressing systemic inequities. The organization was founded because the ski slopes, mountain trails, and soccer fields in Jackson lacked real diversity. Low income children, primarily from our Latinx community, were not participating in outdoor activities.
This summer, our programs are more important than ever, and we are honored to be a part of these kids’ lives during such uncertain times. We will be providing meaningful and safe outdoor programs for more than 100 youth, which will be our biggest summer yet. For many of our participants, Coombs summer camps will be their first organized activities outside the home, and we will be the first adults they have interacted with in-person besides their families in months. These kids are hungry for exercise, adventure, fresh air, and personal connection. Please read more about our exciting summer programs below.
Will you support our kids this summer through a financial gift? Your gift will provide them with the chance to elevate and empower one another and to use their voices and actions to make a difference.
We can't do it without you.
In gratitude,
Mary Erickson
Executive Director
Introducing The New Coombs Outdoors Summer Program!
Our staff has been working hard to modify our summer outdoor curriculum to comply with CDC guidelines in order to support Coombs families during this difficult time, and we’re excited to announce that programs will kick off on July 6th!
This summer, we’re excited to offer week-long outdoor camps for 100 kids from 1st through 9th grade, free of charge. Each kid will participate in two full weeks of outdoor camp in small groups with our new Coombs Summer Program Counselors.
The Forest Friends Elementary Group will spend most camp days at R Park, with educational nature activities, art projects, paddle boarding, and fishing. Groups will also spend a day hiking at Snow King and spend one day on the river with a local rafting company.
The Be REAL Middle School Mentoring Program will hike in Bridger-Teton National Forest, with navigation activities led by a BTNF Ranger, fish at R Park, hike, bike, and spend a day on the river with Rendezvous River Sports.
This new model of full weeks of camp will allow us to better engage with each kid, while minimizing overlap in interaction between kids and counselors. Despite these changes, we’ll be serving more kids than ever this summer!
In order to provide summer programming to the at-risk children and youth we serve in Teton County, we’ve hired seven new counselors and increased program days. This is in order to comply with CDC guidelines and prioritizes the safety of participants and staff.
Thanks to two amazing donors who have stepped up and pledged $20,000, we’re half way to filling the $40,000 additional cost to summer outdoor adventure programs.To fill this gap in summer programming we need to raise an additional $20,000. Will you help us make this goal?
Thank You to our Amazing Summer Program Sponsors!
Thank you to Roadhouse Brewing and the Community Foundation for providing PPE for all kids and program staff for the entire summer!
Thank you to R Park for hosting Coombs summer camp days!
Thank you to Rendezvous River Sports for providing river days for Coombs kids!