Getting Bruins Outside!
Description
Hello! We are The Backpacking Club at UCLA, a student led organization with the goal of making the OUTDOORS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE. But first we need YOUR HELP!
A little about us!
We average 2,000 students memberships across the undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctorate student body and run approximately 50 trips per school year. We know the barrier to getting outside is HUGE and the initial investment to even figuring out whether you like it or not can be enough of an obstacle that many people don’t even try at all.
But college is where you are supposed to try new things!
This is where The Backpacking Club at UCLA steps-up.
We strive to make our trips as low-cost as possible. This means we:
Subsidize trip costs for participants
Carpool to the max
Go places that only require inexpensive permits and we THINK CREATIVELY!
Feeling like you already want to support us? Please donate!
Still unsure, then read on!
Additionally, the club has a gear lending program where we loan out backpacking and camping gear free of charge to students joining club trips. This is where YOU come in, helping to significantly lower the cost barrier to members, improving accessibility.
You might ask, “Where does the club go?” Great question. We go to…
ALL OVER CALIFORNIA and to neighboring states!
But if you still need more convincing, listen to what else The Backpacking Club at UCLA does!
• We host workshops about how to pack a backpacking backpack
• How to do deal with menstruation in the outdoors
• What it is like to thru-hike a trail
• How to stay safe while outside
• Tree identification
• Socials to build Burin community!
You’ve read this far, and we appreciate that. To wrap this up, a little straight talk. The club has been taking Bruins into the backcountry for over a decade and each year we see the costs of accessing the outdoors increasing. These increasing costs mean that we are not able to run as many trips, we aren’t able to reach as many students, and we are limited in the places we can go (gas!).
This is where your support would really help. We want to see the club's reach grow and continue instead of shrink and flounder. With YOUR support we can continue to make lifelong memories and create amazing experiences for generations of Bruins.
As an entirely student-led and run organization we need financial support to continue our mission of leading individuals outside. This includes buying more gear to expand our gear lending library, feeding our trips, paying for more safety devices, and just generally supporting the cause of getting outside.
Any amount helps, and YOUR DONATION makes it possible for a new generation of Bruins to experience the wonder of the outdoors. So if you can, please donate and help us continue offering this experience for the students of UCLA.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE UCLA FOUNDATION'S DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS FOR DONORS
Should this fund reach the campus minimum required for the establishment of an endowment or quasi-endowment, The UCLA Foundation reserves the right to convert this fund to an endowment or quasi-endowment. Please click here to learn more about how the UCLA Foundation invests and manages its endowments.
$10
Butterfly
With this donation the club can provide breakfast one morning of a trip. This would look something like a box of delicious oatmeal to feed some hungry hikers!
$20
Chipmunk
With this donation the club can pay for a headlamp to add to our gear loaning library, this allows Bruins to be safe at night in the outdoors as it gets dark.
$30
Pika
With this donation the club can pay for the monthly subscription fee to our InReach safety devices, which allows us to call search and rescue should an emergency occur in the backcountry.
$50
Marmot
With this donation the club can buy a foldable sleeping pad to add to our gear loan program, which would provide Bruins with a good night's sleep outdoors as well as providing insulation from the ground to keep them warm at night.
$75
Deer
With this donation the club can buy and stock an entire first aid kit for a year, keeping all our Bruins safe when outside!
$100
Mountain Goat
With this donation the club can buy a gravity filter, a device which allows us to filter water from natural water sources (streams, lakes, etc) and turn it into clean drinking water, keeping all our bruins hydrated while they hike!
$200
Mountain Lion
With this donation the club can subsidize trips for 10 Bruins who might not have the means or opportunity to get outside otherwise.
$500
Black Bear
With this donation the club can buy an InReach Garmin, which is a safety device that allows us to call search and rescue should an emergency occur in the backcountry.