Charity

Challenged Athletes Foundation

The Official Charity of AdventureCORPS is the Challenged Athletes Foundation. One of the goals of our events is to raise funds for, and awareness of, this wonderful organization.

The Challenged Athletes Foundation was created on the belief that people of all abilities should have the opportunity to pursue a life full of physical activity and of sports. Be they recreational or in pursuit of a gold medal at the Paralympic Games, people with a physical disability are limited only by their access to funding. Since 1994, CAF has raised more than $24 million—allowing the Foundation to satisfy thousands of funding requests from challenged athletes in all 50 states and across the globe.

Eighty-nine cents of every dollar raised by CAF provides funding and programs that get challenged athletes into the game. Whether it’s a $2,000 handcycle, helping underwrite a $15,000 running prosthetic or arranging enthusiastic encouragement from a mentor who has triumphed over a similar injury, CAF’s mission is clear: give those with the desire to live active, competitive lifestyles every opportunity to compete in the sports they love.

At the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece 45 of the 235 participating U.S. athletes (almost 20 percent) were supported by CAF. More recently at the 2006 Winter Paralympic Games in Torino, Itlay, CAF supported 23 of the 56 (41 percent) participating U.S. athletes.

Click here to donate to CAF right now through a secure and easy-to-use webpage.

Click here for the "Race For a Reason" program—You can personally participate in our events on behalf of CAF - and even earn cool incentive prizes in recognition of your efforts!

Click here to read about the events that AdventureCORPS' Chris Kostman has competed in on behalf of CAF.

Total Money Raised so far for Challenged Athletes by AdventureCORPS: $150,877

Note: This figure does not include the several hundred thousand dollars raised directly by AdventureCORPS athletes in association with their participation in our events!

Yearly Tallies: 2009: $9279; 2008: $17,497; 2007: $32,378; 2006: app. $17,400; 2005: app. $35,000, 2004: $11,196; 2003: app. $15,500; 2002: $12,590. Donate Today! Thanks for your support!

Major Taylor Association

AdventureCORPS is proud to sponsor the Major Taylor Association each year.

The Major Taylor Association was formed by residents of Worcester, Mass., who became intrigued with the story of the 1899 world champion bicycle racer from Worcester who overcame racial prejudice to become the first internationally acclaimed African-American sports star.

The organization's mission is to memorialize Major Taylor with a statue on public land in Worcester, in recognition of his athletic achievements and strength of character—his sportsmanship, concern for those less fortunate, devotion to God, and personal struggle for equality. Further, the Major Taylor Association aims to create a living memorial to Taylor by conducting good works in his name and educating people about his life and legacy.

MTA hosts the annual George Street Bike Challenge for Major Taylor, a short, steep uphill time trial on a downtown Worcester street where Major Taylor used to train. Additionally, Major Taylor Association offers a free curriculum guide for schools, for grades 3 through 8, featuring lessons about the trailblazing black athlete Marshall W. “Major” Taylor. The materials are designed to be used at any time—such as Black History Month (February) or National Sportsmanship Day (first Tuesday in March)—in conjunction with an optional readathon to benefit the Major Taylor Association.

Click here to donate directly to the Major Taylor Association.

Click here or the logo above to visit the Major Taylor Association website.

Click here for our photos, video, and audio files from the statue unveiling on May 23, 2008.

80 FOR HAITI to Support Mercy Corps

In response to the horrific situation in Haiti, AdventureCORPS will organize a cycling event called "80 For Haiti" on February 13, 2010. It will be an 80-mile ride, on Old Hwy 80 in southeastern San Diego County, with an $80 entry fee. 100% of the entry fees will go directly to Mercy Corps, one of the most respected relief organizations worldwide. The "80 for Haiti" start / finish will be in Pine Valley, CA. The route is spectacular, on absolutely quiet roads through rolling terrain. AdventureCORPS will absorb all costs, but food, drink, and support sponsors are being sought.

The Official Charity of 80 FOR HAITI is Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps is a team of 3700 professionals helping turn crisis into opportunity for millions around the world. By trade, they are engineers, financial analysts, drivers, community organizers, project managers, public health experts, administrators, social entrepreneurs and logisticians. In spirit, they are activists, optimists, innovators and proud partners of the people they serve. According to their website:

"Mercy Corps has long been recognized as an excellent steward of the resources entrusted to it. Over the past five years, more than 89 percent of our resources have been allocated to programs that help people in need. Ensuring that resources are wisely spent is the cornerstone of our values, vision, and strategy for growth in the future. We are proud of the awards, endorsements, memberships, and honors that substantiate our track record of accountability."

Click here to donate directly to Mercy Corps.

Click here for all the ride into, including registration.

Click here or the logo above to visit the Mercy Corps website.

Click here to read more about what Mercy Corps is specifically doing in Haiti right now.

One Percent For The Planet

AdventureCORPS events happen not in a man-made stadium, but in the real world "out there." We care deeply about the natural world for we are intrinsically linked with it and because we want to enjoy these events in their awesome natural settings for a long, long time.

As such, we joined One Percent For The Planet on July 1, 2008, a growing global movement of 899 companies (and counting) that donate 1% of their sales to a network of 1,582 environmental organizations (and counting) worldwide. Therefore we are now donating at least 1% of total revenues (in other words, "off the top," not just 1% of profit, which would be next to nothing!) to environmental causes. This is in addition to all the work we do on behalf of, and donations we make to, our two Official Charities, Challenged Athletes Foundation and Major Taylor Association, as outlined above.

Click here to read more about our environmental efforts.

Click here to visit the One Percent For The Planet website.

Death Valley Natural History Association

In association with our membership in 1% For The Planet, we are very pleased to announce that we joined the Death Valley Natural History Association as Life Members and are recognizing DVNHA as an Official Charity of AdventureCORPS as of January 23, 2009. DVNHA is a non-profit organization supporting education, research, and preservation in Death Valley National Park and Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Some of their efforts include DeathValley R.O.C.K.S. (bringing inner city kids to experience one of the largest outdoor classrooms in the world), Devil's Hole Pupfish Recovery, Death Valley All Taxa Biological Inventory, plus they run the wonderful gift shops at the Furnace Creek Visitor's Center, Scotty's Castle Museum, Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station, and at the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Office.

Click here to read more about our environmental efforts.

Click here to visit the DVNHA website.

Click here to donate to DVNHA.

The Conservation Alliance

In association with our membership in One Percent for the Planet, we are pleased to support The Conservation Alliance as of September 10, 2008. The Conservation Alliance is an organization of outdoor businesses whose collective contributions support grassroots environmental organizations and their efforts to protect wild places where outdoor enthusiasts recreate. Alliance funds have played a key role in protecting rivers, trails, wildlands and climbing areas throughout North America.

Membership in the Alliance is open to companies representing all aspects of the outdoor industry, including manufacturers, retailers, publishers, mills and sales representatives. The result is a diverse group of businesses whose livelihood depends on protecting our natural environment. Since its inception in 1989, the Alliance has contributed more than $6 million to grassroots environmental groups. Alliance funding has helped save over 39 million acres of wildlands; stop or remove 26 dams; and preserve access to more than 16,000 miles of waterways and several climbing areas.

Click here to read more about our environmental efforts.

Click here to visit The Conservation Alliance website.