FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2007
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) was recently awarded $40,000 in grant funding from the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, North Country Region, to expand educational programming and outdoor experiences for youth and emerging leaders in Coos County.
With this funding support, AMC plans to increase its outdoor education programming offerings, partner with additional schools, and provide subsidies to local schools participating in AMC’s A Mountain Classroom residential school program. That program includes multi-day outdoor education programming based at AMC lodges and backcountry huts in and around the White Mountain National Forest.
A Mountain Classroom programs focus on science, environment, leadership development, and team-building, with an emphasis on hands-on learning in an outdoor setting.
In addition to working with local schools and school teachers in Coos County, AMC offers in-school enrichment programs and after-school educational programs in local communities.
AMC works in partnership with schools in Berlin, Gorham, Milan, Colebrook, and the White Mountain Regional School District. Plans are to expand these partnerships, thanks to support from the Tillotson Fund.
“We are delighted to receive this generous support from the Tillotson Fund,” said Andrea Muller, AMC North Country Youth Education Director. “This funding will allow us to enhance our existing programs with local schools and develop partnerships with new schools that would like to take advantage of the resources AMC has to offer,” she said.
AMC provides programming for 600 students in Coos County schools annually. With support from the Tillotson Fund, AMC expects to provide an additional 200 Coos County students with multi-day educational experiences in and around the White Mountain National Forest, while also serving local students with educational day programs at their schools or AMC facilities.
AMC serves more than 15,000 participants annually in its day and evening educational programs offered at its White Mountain destinations and, since 1990, more than 16,000 New Hampshire schoolchildren have participated in AMC programs.
The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund supports organizations providing services to New Hampshire’s North Country and surrounding area. Areas of specific focus include education, economic development, conservation and sustainable forestry, and community needs.
The fund recently awarded nearly $663,000 in grants to 14 organizations working in Coos County and surrounding communities.
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has been working to improve the quality of life in our communities since 1962. It builds and manages a collection of funds, totaling more than $400 million, created by individuals, families and corporations for charitable purposes. In 2006, the foundation awarded $30 million in grants to nonprofits and scholarship funds to students. Based in Concord, the foundation roots itself in communities across the state through seven regions including Lakes, Manchester, Monadnock, Nashua, North Country, Piscataqua and Upper Valley. More information about the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is available online at www.nhcf.org.
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the United States. With 90,000 members in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region. More information on AMC is available online at www.outdoors.org.
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