• Name of Nonprofit Organization: Homer Outdoor Wilderness Leadership (HOWL)
• Your Name: Stacey Smith
• Short Project Description:

Just as the name implies, HOWL’s mission is to empower young leaders through outdoor experiential education, by providing fun and dynamic adventures in Alaska.The Vision HOWL hopes to foster through their various programs is a community in which  young people engage in the world joyfully, with confidence, competence and care. HOWL is a non-profit and requires much community support to provide equal access to children who cannot always afford the exciting recreational opportunities offered through HOWL.

• The Big Why:

When I was young I won a similar scholarship that changed my life. I had dedicated volunteer leaders that rounded up equipment and took me on my first overnight mountaineering hike. Later, similarly I was awarded a grant that provided me ski gear (that my single mother could not afford),  I took to ski racing and ultimately paid my own way through college on a scholarship.

Outdoor recreation in Alaska is abundant, however, it is not always accessible to everyone. It is my opinion, and personal experience,  that specifically affording malleable youth opportunities to get hooked on positive hobbies they can become passionate about  can be life-changing. Coupled with the develop & leadership skills  specifically offered through HOWL, we can help fund kids and help form a better tomorrow.  Students are routinely  taught how to survive and return to the wilderness on trips of their own, as competent wilderness leaders, respectful of the environment, their teammates and themselves. The leave No Trace principles are at the core of their curriculum,  teaching environmental conservation  to become easy and routine

• The Bottom Line:

HoWL 2015 Gear Needs:

Four 3-person tents $1000

Two 2-person tents $400

Two 4-person mids $600

12 ice axes $900

4 harnesses $200

1 slackline $200

5 climbing helmets $300

2 whisperlite stoves $150

2 Coleman 2-burner stoves $200

2 sets of 3 sizes of lightweight backcountry pots $150

First aid kit re-stock $100

15 sets of snorkels, masks, fins $500

15 wetsuit hoods $1500

Total Gear Needs = $6200

Scholarships: $500 per student.