Manhattan Beach Clinics and Events

2009 Non-Profit Partners and Grant Recipients

Ongoing Event Information

Here is a list of the 2009 Grant Recipients in the LA County Market:

1.) Los Angeles Outward Bound
$5,000.00
Youth Advisory Council
LA Outward Bound promotes ongoing youth leadership development through the Youth Advisory Council (YAC). Youth members meet biweekly to plan local expeditions and conduct presentations to educate the public about pressing community issues. YAC members participate in regularly scheduled activities serving both to develop leadership skills and to contribute to the betterment of their communities. While youth plan expeditions and design projects to serve Pasadena and Los Angeles communities, they also learn fundamental skills for careers in the outdoor industry. REI's grant will provide transportation, food and supplies for outdoor expeditions.

2.) Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs See Inc
$10,000.00
Cyclists Inciting Change thru LIVE Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.)
C.I.C.L.E.'s 'Bikes in the City' Education Program is a comprehensive approach to bicycle education that provides people with the essential skills, information, solutions and confidence to help them overcome their barriers to transportation bicycling. Currently, C.I.C.L.E. is expanding this program to include a new branch entitled, 'Families and Bikes' (FAB). FAB will work to grow city bicycling and promote a greater public awareness about the far-reaching benefits of transportation bicycling to families with children. FAB will feature a series of safety and skills based workshops, as well as lifestyle-focused workshops, that address key barriers that are unique to families bicycling with children. As part of its program, FAB will also present various rides and events. C.I.C.L.E. looks forward to increasing the viability of transportation cycling in Los Angeles through the various workshops and events presented by the 'Bikes in the City' Education Program. REI's grant will provide support for program development and will provide promotional and training materials that will be integral to the program's success.

3.) Los Angeles Parks Foundation
$4,977.50
WOW-Wonderful Outdoor World Urban Camping Program.
The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks' (RAP) Wonderful Outdoor World (WOW) introduces urban youth to camping. WOW strives to break the barriers that prevent children from enjoying the outdoors. These overnight campouts involve a 1.5-day curriculum of hands-on activities where the campers learn and practice camping skills and outdoor ethics in the safety of their neighborhood park. Once a camper successfully completes a WOW I program, they can progress to the WOW II's, where they continue their education and outdoor experiences at campouts on more remote public lands. REI's grant will provide outdoor equipment for youth campers.

4.) Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy
$10,000.00
Stewardship Volunteer Program Enhancement
The Stewardship Volunteer Program is an important component of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (PVPLC), assisting in the management of approximately 1,200 acres of open space and 42 miles of recreational trails, owned or managed as Nature Preserves on the greater Palos Verdes Peninsula. The Stewardship Volunteer Program provides help in restoring native habitat, maintaining the trail system, and monitoring the preserves. This project will provide the public, including youth participants, with a venue to act as environmental stewards to the landscape and improve access to outdoor recreational opportunities such as hiking, mountain biking, and horse-back riding. REI's grant will provide tools for trail work along with promotional materials and additional equipment to support volunteers.

5.) Community Partners for benefit of The Wildwoods Foundation
$5,000.00
Wildwoods Foundation's Full Circle Program
The Wildwoods Foundation's Full Circle program is an outdoor-based community-building and leadership program for elementary school classes that helps children apply the lessons of nature in their everyday lives. Combining outdoor and teambuilding activities, the Full Circle curriculum uses ecology as a springboard to introduce students to nature's principles and inspire them reflect these principles in taking action to improve their communities. Additionally, Full Circle improves the learning environment by giving students and teachers tools that they can use to continue collaborative learning after the conclusion of the program. The Full Circle program serves public schools near downtown Los Angeles. REI's grant will support program instructors and assistant leaders who will guide youth throughout the program. Grant funding will also provide educational materials for students.
6.) National Audubon Society, Inc., dba Audubon California
$10,000.00
Volunteerism and Hiking at The Audubon Center at Debs Park
The Audubon Center at Debs Park provides a program of fitness hikes and family nature walks with the goal of introducing outdoor recreation with a focus on local nature to traditionally underserved urban families in northeast Los Angeles. The Audubon Center will also provide community members with a new opportunity to participate in a habitat restoration trial in Debs Park, during which volunteers will perform direct conservation work resulting in improved and enhanced wildlife habitat. These two activities will encourage local residents to spend quality time out of doors, act with broader environmental sensitivity, and advocate for the protection of the local natural world. REI's grant will support Audubon staff members to lead both activities and will provide promotional materials to help engage the local community with the Audubon Center at Debs Park and its programs.

7.) San Bernardino National Forest Association
$10,000.00
Children's Forest Youth Leadership Program
The Children's Forest Youth Leadership Program is a component of the San Bernardino National Forest Association (SNBFA) that engages youth and adults in volunteer projects and recreation activities. REI grant funds will provide increased hiking, canoeing, kayaking, mountain biking, camping, rock climbing, and snowshoeing activities for program participants. SBNFA will supplement the recreation outings with curriculum that emphasizes safety, trip planning, equipment selection, ecology, and first aid. REI grant funds will also provide youth volunteers with increased opportunities to participate in service learning projects which include caring for heavily recreated lands and burned areas of the San Bernardino National Forest.

8.) San Gorgonio Wilderness Association
$5,000.00
SGWA Volunteer equipment grant
The San Gorgonio Wilderness Association is a non-profit group dedicated to forest protection, restoration and public education and in the San Bernardino National Forest of Southern California, including the San Gorgonio Wilderness. Volunteers provide all services and funds to supporrt SGWA's efforts. REI's grant will provide necessary equipment for SGWA's U.S. Forest Service volunteer hiking and backpacking ranger program. SGWA rangers provide outreach and education to visitors throughout the Wilderness to help them follow the principles of Leave No Trace and preserve the beauty and ecological health of the area for future hikers and backpackers. REI funds will specifically provide rangers with lightweight radios and shovels to improve the volunteer experience and increase their range of impact.

9.) Children's Nature Institute
$10,000.00
Outreach Discovery Program
Children's Nature Institute will provide free environmental education programs to more than 10,000 of Los Angeles' underprivileged children, parents, and teachers in the 2009-2010 fiscal year through its Outreach Discovery Program. This free scientific and environmental education program is tailored specifically to young children (newborn through age eight) and offers an in-class science workshop, a kid-paced educational hike, outdoor lessons in nature awareness and curricular support. REI's funds will support field Trip transportation for schools and in-class supplies and will provide supplies for volunteer walk leaders to use during educational ucd-paced hikes.

10.) Heal the Bay
$10,000.00
The Stream Team
Heal the Bay's Stream Team combines the efforts of trained staff and community-based volunteers who are dedicated to restoration, water-quality and habitat monitoring efforts in the Malibu Creek Watershed. By training and involving local residents and school groups in its ongoing volunteer activities, the Stream Team educates the public about environmental issues in their community. Steam Team efforts protect the environmentally sensitive region while promoting the Watershed's popularity as a hiking and camping destination. REI's grant will support project coordination and leadership and will also provide native plant restoration materials and supplies for volunteers.

11.) Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
$5,000.00
Bilingual Bicycle Safety Resource Guide
The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) will use REI's grant to design and print a bicycle safety resource guide that specifically addresses biking in Los Angeles. The resource guide will be printed in both english and spanish. LACBC created this project to address and increase bike safety and empower bicyclists of all incomes, improving their commutes and rides across the county. The resource guide will play an integral role in moving toward LACBC's vision to build a more inclusive bicycling community in Los Angeles by educating beginning and intermediate bicyclists and providing them with the tools to ride more frequently and become more involved with LA County's bicycling community.