JOHN AUSTIN CHELEY FOUNDATION
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Mission Statement
Changing kids' lives through transformative summer camp experiences.
About This Cause
In 1989, our 501(c)(3) organization was established to send young people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it to sleep-away, wilderness-based summer camp. The founders of what was then called the John Austin Cheley Foundation understood that time spent in nature has a profound effect on the trajectory of kids’ lives and on their physical and mental health. They realized that young people were increasingly losing the freedom to spend their summers playing outdoors, creating their own fun, and learning important social skills and life lessons in the process. Many kids, especially those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, did not have access to natural places or backcountry experiences. The John Austin Cheley Foundation (now doing business as A Thousand Summers) was started to break down barriers so that all kids could get outside and become stronger, more confident leaders through wilderness experiences. We continue that vision today, over 36 years later, and believe it is even more important in today’s world for kids to “unplug,” get away from screens and technology, and spend time in the outdoors. Each summer we invest over half a million dollars to send approximately 100 kids from underserved economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds to one of eight different extended-stay outdoor adventure camps. Our investment includes camp tuition and covers travel and equipment expenses so that when the kids in our program arrive at camp they have complete access to and are just as prepared as other campers to fully engage in the outdoor activities. We commit to offering our 4-week program over multiple summers to the kids we serve to expose them to progressively more challenging outdoor experiences, to deepen their connection to nature, and to maximize social and emotional growth. A Thousand Summers works to remove the barriers that prevent kids from getting outside and learning about the natural world and gives them the opportunity to participate in an immersive and powerful outdoor experience that is traditionally reserved for kids from more privileged backgrounds.