Blue Sky Fund Hike For Kids Fundraiser!

OVERVIEW

~ TLDR ~This trip organizes participation in the Blue Sky Fund Hike For Kids https://secure.qgiv.com/event/hikeforkids2021/ which takes place on October 23rd. The fee associated with the trip is the registration fee for the hike/fundraiser.

~ Description ~
Who:
You! (And maybe your family?? Scroll down to learn more). All the routes on this trip are part of the James River Trail System so they are low elevation gain and beginner friendly. You could even trail run if you want to!

What:
Carpool / hiking buddies for the Blue Sky Fund Hike for Kids fundraiser! Choose between a 3 or 8 mile loop and since it’s part of BSF’s larger event, you can do as fast or as slow as you want. I personally will be trying to trail run the 8 mile, but I am not a super advanced trail runner (read: 12:22/mi the one time I did Ragged) so if you want to trail run with me it will be beginner friendly. We can split into groups when we have all the signups but the possibilities are pretty much endless!

When:
October 23rd, 2021 9:00a to 5:30p*
— Timeline —
9:00am leave from Echols
10:15 arrive at registration
11:00 group leaves for 8 mile hike
12:30 group leaves for 3 mile hike
1:30 post hike celebration starts
*cars can leave staggered based on when people want to leave but the first car should leave no earlier than 2:30 and the last car should leave no later than 4:30

Where:
Virginia War Memorial and neighboring James River Park System

Why:
As one of the largest organizations at a university built by enslaved laborers on stolen Monacan land, in a society threaded with a history of white supremacy, we must not only reject racism within our spaces but also work to make them actively anti-racist. A vital part of making the outdoors more inclusive is removing the financial barriers to outdoor spaces which are inextricably linked to race.

The Blue Sky Fund is an organization dedicated to connecting youth in Richmond with access to outdoor education and recreation. They have a variety of programs serving Richmond public school students in elementary through high school, most of whom qualify as low-income. To learn more about Blue Sky Fund, check out their website here: https://blueskyfund.org/who-we-are/community-impact.

For every Outdoors Club Member that signs up to fundraise and hike with our team, we will donate $7 to the Blue Sky Fund.

How:
1. Sign up for this trip (I’m expanding the size as driver sign up)
2. When I email you that you have a confirmed carpool spot, sign up to hike at https://secure.qgiv.com/event/hikeforkids2021/register/form/registration (odc will reimburse the $40 in-person hiker registration fee for the first 10 people to sign up)
3. Join the outdoors club team, which can be found here: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/hikeforkids2021/team/886574-uvaoutdoors
4. After I email you that you have a spot on the trip, you will have 24 hours to sign up and email me your hiker profile or I will have to move you off the trip to give someone else a chance to sign up
5. If you sign up for the waitlist and realize you can’t come, remove yourself from the waitlist to make sure everyone on the waitlist gets a chance to sign up
6. Come hike with us! Outdoors Club normally provides $7 per person for food on service trips, but because there is food at the event we will instead donate $7 to the Blue Sky Fund for every person that signs up to hike with our team

If your family is in town for family weekend, consider making this a family trip! If you choose to do so, you can sign up to hike on the website and email me at atc4yk@virginia.edu to let me know you will be traveling to and from the event by yourself so that we can still get $7 donated on your behalf!

DRIVERS
We will reimburse gas + a tip that’s 50% of the cost of your gas. If you are willing to drive for the trip, you don’t need to wait for me to let you onto the trip to sign up for H4K–sign up to hike and link your profile when you register and I will let you onto the trip right away.