The Wonder Wedge: Inventing for a Cause
Jim Opeka and his son, Daren, in Lander, Wyo.
By the end of his sophomore year in college, Jim and Sue Opeka’s son, Daren, was struggling with his geology major. Overwhelmed with too many extracurricular activities and responsibilities, Daren was confused and unhappy. But he felt unsure as to how to change the situation. Jim and Sue knew he needed something to clear his head, and since he’d always been an athletic, ‘outdoors kid’—playing sports, camping, whitewater rafting, hiking—his parents suggested NOLS.
After leaving a summer camp job due to poor work conditions, Daren still wanted an epiphany in the mountains. He knew what he needed to do. That fall he made his way to Lander, Wyo. for a Semester in the Rockies.
Daren found in his NOLS instructors the mentorship and motivation that was lacking at the camp. He relished refining his hiking and camping skills and became smitten with rock climbing, which remains his passion to this day. But it was on his canyoneering section in the Grand Canyon that Daren found the epiphany he sought.
“He called us and said, ‘I went into the canyon a geology major and came out an English major. I never looked at a rock and thought about what it was … but rather the story it told,’” Sue recalled.
Jim and Sue Opeka donated the proceeds from The Wonder Wedge to the NOLS Annual Fund.
NOLS was a life-changer for Daren and his parents. He left a confused young man pursuing the wrong major with no real idea as to who he was and what he really wanted to do with his life; he returned a man who was young. NOLS helped Daren discover himself. Back home, Jim and Sue noticed that he was more mature, focused, self-aware, and driven. Daren decided to return to NOLS someday as an instructor. He wanted to help other young people “find themselves,” a dream he lives today.
Jim and Sue believe that with all the distractions of today’s world—technology, social pressures, and job and marketplace insecurities—outdoor education is more important than ever. Out of this belief, the Opekas decided to donate the proceeds of The Wonder Wedge, a hardware product Jim invented that is designed to provide safety in ladder use, to the NOLS Annual Fund.
Beyond a ladder supper, The Wonder Wedge can be used in contruction or as a tire stopper, among other functions.
Last fall, the couple attended a local “huge, well-attended garage sale” in their town to sell the wedges.
“Because most people have no idea what NOLS is, we also had an opportunity to share our positive opinion of, and experiences with, NOLS. We used the term ‘life-changer’ a lot,” Sue said.
The Opekas chose to donate the proceeds from The Wonder Wedge sales to NOLS because of the difference it made in their son’s life.
“It is a wonderful organization with proven results. We are grateful for the positive impact NOLS had on our family,” Sue said, adding, “As Daren says, ‘Being in the wilderness provides clarity … a sense of what’s really important.’”
To learn more about philanthropy at NOLS or to make a gift, visit giving.nols.edu.
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on May 1, 2013 in the following categories: Alumni, Campaign NOLS
Campaign NOLS: Explaining Our Core Values, Part 3
NOLS’ core values are at the heart of our institution. Leadership, community, safety, excellence, wilderness, and education inspire everything we do. We share a commitment to these values; they define and direct who we are, what we do, and how we do it.
We believe that education should be exciting, fun, and challenging. With this in mind, our courses are designed to help people develop and practice the skills they need to live, travel, and play safely in the outdoors. On our expeditions, people learn by accepting and meeting real challenges. Our instructors are educators, not guides. They are committed to inspiring students to explore and develop their understanding of wilderness ethics, leadership, teamwork, natural history, and technical skills.
Rachael Abler practices her self-arrest in the Twin Sisters region of the North Cascades.
Rachael Abler on Education
In 2011, after pursuing a Master’s degree in recreation, I started making calls to numerous collegiate outdoor recreation programs. I found myself hearing one thing that would help me make it in the industry from each and every coordinator, director, graduate assistant, intern, etc.: NOLS. At that, my mind was made up. NOLS, here I come!
The Pacific Northwest Outdoor Educator Course allowed me to develop technical skills in mountaineering and rock climbing while growing as an outdoor educator. Like many people, I was at the point of my life where, after obtaining two college degrees, I did not have much disposable income. But, thanks to the NOLS scholarship program, I had the opportunity to spend 30 days in the backcountry learning who I was, what I was capable of, and transforming myself into a better person for the rest of my life.
Rachael on Mt. Baker, overlooking Mt. Shuksan.
The outdoor experiences throughout the course of my life have allowed me to become the person who I am today, and I hold the strongest regard for the 30 days spent on my NOLS course. It is easy in our technological age to go through life without placing ourselves in situations that allow us to see our true potential. I believe there is nothing more powerful than immersing oneself in outdoors and that there is nothing like making personal accomplishments in some of the most beautiful places in the world. Without such educational experiences, how can anyone possibly know what they are capable of?
NOLS is responsible for impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the globe. Whether the impact is teaching leadership and teamwork qualities, exposing people to new worlds, or offering career advancement opportunities with wilderness medicine, outdoor educator, and instructor courses. No matter what the case, the result is always the same—NOLS changes lives.
Rachael and her coursemates in the Twin Sisters Region of the North Cascades, with Mt. Baker in the backgorund.
My own ability to attend a NOLS course is attributed to the philanthropic efforts of those who came before me. As a donor, I am honored to join the fraternity of individuals who place value in continued education and outdoor leadership development for all who have the drive to pursue it. It is a privilege to give back to the organization that gave so much to me through support of Campaign NOLS. My hope is that many more future leaders and educators can reap similar benefits.
The view from Mt. Baker.
Rachael Abler is a 2012 Pacific Outdoor Educator graduate, scholarship recipient and a donor.
To learn more about Campaign NOLS: Endowing Our Core Values or to donate, visit giving.nols.edu.
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Apr 2, 2013 in the following categories: Alumni, Campaign NOLS, Curriculum, Pacific Northwest
Lizann Peyton: Donor Inspired by Her Daughters
If there is one thing that we love to hear from our graduates or their parents, it’s that they continue to be leaders and positive motivators in their communities after their NOLS education. NOLS parent and NOLS Annual Fund supporter Lizann Peyton, a non-profit consultant, remains inspired by the strength and outgoing nature of her daughters, Natalie and Emily Clark, both NOLS alumni.
She continues giving to NOLS because of the overall calm-confidence she has witnessed in her daughters.
The girls have grown even more confident in traveling abroad and their ability to navigate peers calmly through fatigue and conflict. Lizann has seen her daughters encourage others to get out and explore.
“I wanted to be able to provide this experience to someone that may not be able to afford it otherwise,” Lizann explained.
Lizann and her two daughters, Emily and Natalie, hiking in the White Mountains.
Emily and Natalie have used the desire for challenge and adventure gained at NOLS to pursue worldly educations, further leadership opportunities and the confidence to share the wilderness experience with others.
At the age of 16 after returning from her first NOLS course, Alaska Backpacking, Emily took it upon herself to encourage and teach her family to backpack the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She continues to pursue leadership positions, most recently forming an outdoors club in her International Relations graduate program in Bologna, Italy.
Natalie will soon be studying abroad in Copenhaagen, pursuing an education in sustainable architecture. While her daughters are out exploring the world, Lizann has begun to host through hikers attempting the Appalachian Trail. She enjoys listening to the inspirational stories of adventurers, and much like those that resonate from her daughters, these stories have transferred into her overall approach to life. Families like these—those that motivate each other to get out and test their strength and good will—are just what makes the NOLS community so uniquely inspiring.
Campaign NOLS: Endowing Our Core Values challenges NOLS to raise $20 million by the end of 2013, ensuring long-term stability for the school so that we can continue to support scholarships and other essential programs. To learn more, visit our website or give us a call at 1-800-332-4280.
Written by Meredith Hardwick, NOLS Alumni Intern
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Jan 10, 2013 in the following categories: Alumni, Campaign NOLS, Leadership
Small Gifts DO Make a Difference
Sure, you’re young, you’re fresh out of college, and you have a pile of student loan debt. I get it; I’ve been there, spending six months unemployed after graduation before I finally got hired.
You might not have the means to make a significant gift, and you probably think that your small gifts to NOLS won’t really make a difference in the big bucket.
Think again.
Do you drink gourmet coffee? Beer? Try donating a couple of those each month to NOLS. Drink two fewer pints with your friends, or two fewer lattes, save the $10 and, give it to NOLS. Doing that each month will add up to $120 a year!
It still may not sound like much, but if even a quarter of our more than 200,000 graduates did this, it’d be a whole lot. Over $6 million in fact. That’s enough to meet the scholarship needs of over 3,000 students.
It’s easy to give monthly; just sign up for the program with a few clicks on NOLS’secure online giving form. Your donation will be charged to your debit or credit card on the first of the month or the nearest business day.
Still don’t think your small gift will make a difference? Go on—just try it. See the impact you can make. Together we can ensure that all students have access to unparalleled wilderness education, regardless of their financial background.
Larkin Flora graduated from college in 2010 and was lucky enough to land an internship with NOLS Alumni the following year. She now works as the Development Communications Coordinator at NOLS Headquarters in Lander, Wyo.
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Dec 18, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Campaign NOLS
Campaign NOLS: Explaining Our Core Values, Part 2
NOLS’ core values are at the heart of our institution. Leadership, community, safety, excellence, wilderness, and education inspire everything we do. We share a commitment to these values; they define and direct who we are, what we do, and how we do it.
NOLS is an international community composed of talented individuals who care deeply about what they do. We value diversity, integrity, and personal responsibility while recognizing that our strength lies in teamwork and commitment to our mission and each other. We appreciate creativity, individuality, and passion among our staff and as an institution. We take our jobs seriously and pursue our mission with enthusiasm, and we cherish our sense of humor and our ability to laugh at ourselves.
Sadie Sarvis (left) and coursemate enjoy the pictographs in Desolation Canyon during their river section.
Sadie Sarvis on Community
My NOLS experience was truly life changing. I learned how to make my voice heard, deliver constructive feedback, embrace hardship and the unknown, be intentional, and live minimally. I learned to appreciate each moment; that the past and future are only thieves of today. I hold all that I learned close to tackle the next adventure.
I found NOLS through a guidance counselor at my high school in Portland, Maine and decided on a semester course because I wasn’t as engaged in my coursework at high school as I might’ve liked. Life is too short and wonderful to spend time doing something you’re not excited about; there are too many amazing things to experience!
My course taught me the value and power of community. Everyone tried to be fair-minded, open, compassionate, respectful, and helpful. We worked hard at effective communication and conflict management, which paid off incredibly well. I will never forget the power of expressing even the smallest frustration to maintain a healthy relationship. By the end of our course, we completed tasks efficiently and relied on each other for support.
Sadie and coursmates pose in front of NOLS headquarters in Lander, WY after graduation.
In the backcountry you can’t let things “brew.” Although this is common in the frontcountry, it is not healthy or productive. Since my course, I am more aware of myself as a function of the whole community of my school, workplace, and teams. I understand that when everyone is decent and respectful, we can accomplish more.
I think everyone should experience outdoor education. One of the hardest parts of the course was raising enough money to be able to participate, and I could not have done my NOLS course without a scholarship. I have never seen myself, or anyone else, grow in leadership skills, competence, self-awareness, judgment and decision-making, risk management, and expedition behavior in such a short time. Everyone deserves to experience that.
Sadie Sarvis is a 2011 Semester in the Rockies graduate and scholarship recipient.
To donate or learn more about Campaign NOLS: Endowing Our Core Values visit giving.nols.edu.
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Dec 3, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Campaign NOLS, Curriculum, Leadership, Rocky Mountain
Sharing the Joy of Wilderness Classrooms- The Trina and Jess Peterson Endowed Scholarship
After graduating from high school in 1982, Trina Peterson set out to take on the Wind River Wilderness course, an experience that has been an inspiration to her since that time. As an alumna, Trina continues to incorporate aspects of her wilderness course into a lifelong commitment to the NOLS core values and community.
Trina and Jess Peterson near their home in Colorado.
The Trina and Jess Peterson Endowed Scholarship will honorably give future students the opportunity to receive the gift of learning about leadership and the environment, as well as a sense for self-empowerment through an awarded scholarship.
“It wasn’t even that Jess and I were inspired. More like compelled,” Trina explained.
“We figured that among the recipients of the scholarship, there would be a healthy number whose life course would be altered by their NOLS experience and who would, in turn, spread the word about the power and importance of wild places. The benefits of wise judgment and the pure joy of learning skills and gaining confidence while traveling through amazing landscapes.”
Trina and Jess share their passion for the outdoors with their two children, son Soren and daughter Tessa.
Trina is as enthusiastic about her NOLS experience today as she was thirty years ago, when she could be found sporting her wind pants, hiking books and hydration systems around her hometown of Cambridge, MA. Giving to NOLS came as naturally to her as her passion for leadership and the grand classroom of the wilderness.
With a community of alumni as supportive and generous as Trina and Jess Peterson, NOLS will continue to inspire a growing audience of students.
Read more about the NOLS Scholarship Program here. To learn more about giving to Campaign NOLS: Endowing Our Core Values or creating an endowed scholarships visit NOLS Giving or contact us at (800) 332-4280 or development@nols.edu.
Written by Meredith Hardwick, NOLS Alumni Intern.
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Nov 1, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Campaign NOLS, Leadership
The Results are In: Challenge for Charities Raises Half-Tuition Scholarship for Local Student
Lander Community Foundation’s Challenge for Charities was a huge success this year. NOLS was one of 24 local non-profits to participate, raising nearly $2,400 towards a local scholarship. Funds came from individual donors, runners of the Lander Half Marathon and 5K who contributed their “Charity Bucks” winnings, and a 54 percent match through the foundation. Forty Community Challengers contributed $65,400 to the matching fund.
NOLS would like to thank our donors, runners, the Lander Community Foundation and Community Challengers for supporting this important community initiative.
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Aug 9, 2012 in the following categories: Campaign NOLS, In The News
Campaign NOLS: Explaining Our Core Values, Part 1
NOLS’ core values are at the heart of our institution. Leadership, community, safety, excellence, wilderness, and education inspire everything we do. We share a commitment to these values; they define and direct who we are, what we do, and how we do it.
We believe that leadership is a skill that can be learned and that our alumni come away from their courses with the experience to lead with integrity, accountability, and humility.
Sydney Hartsell leading her coursmates up an ascent to Goat Flats
Sydney Hartsell on Leadership
NOLS generates real leaders for today’s world: active and concerned citizens who are not only adept in the backcountry, but also conscious of the size of their footprint, can collaborate effectively with others, and exemplify strong leadership, passion, and self-responsibility.
I grew up in Salt Lake City and received a Morehead-Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which allowed me to take a NOLS Rocky Mountain course the summer before heading to college. I already loved backpacking, but wanted to learn technical skills, challenge myself, and become a better leader.
In high school, my leadership roles were on sports teams and were largely gained via seniority. I was the second youngest on my course and one of only three females. However, NOLS taught me that to be a leader you don’t have to be the biggest or the oldest—the right attitude and skills are what matter.
Sydney and fellow scholarship recipient Justin Van Der Horn on the summit of Flagstone Peak
NOLS helped me develop the self-confidence to assume leadership roles at a large university, even as an underclassman. I made it a point to encourage active followership and peer leadership among fellow students. I felt comfortable making decisions myself, but tried to facilitate group consultation and delegate tasks in order to cultivate leadership abilities in my younger mentees, similar to how our NOLS instructors prepared us for independent backcountry travel.
I am 22 years old, just graduated from college, and I give what I can to Campaign NOLS because “thank you” doesn’t begin to cover how grateful I am to the Morehead-Cain for enabling me to take a NOLS course. I would not be the person I am today without this experience, and helping another student have the same opportunity is the least I can do to show my gratitude. NOLS empowered and changed my life; it can certainly do the same for many future students.
To my fellow NOLS graduates: remember those leadership principles your instructor once wrote on the sleeping pad whiteboard? “Model the way” and give what you can to Campaign NOLS.
Sydney Hartsell is a 2008 Wind River Mountaineering graduate, scholarship recipient, and donor.
Donate now to support Campaign NOLS
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Jul 16, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Campaign NOLS, Leadership
GiveBIG to NOLS this Wednesday
Last summer, 17-year-old Seattle resident Georgia Ray attended a NOLS Alaska sea kayaking course through the Student Conservation Association, a NOLS Gateway Partner. The lessons she learned at NOLS extend beyond technical and leadership skills in the wilderness setting, translating back to her life in the frontcountry.
“Interacting with my coursemates, in the very open environment provided by NOLS, let me know how my words are perceived and interpreted,” recalled Georgia, “Today I use this knowledge with my family and friends to be a clearer and better communicator. I use this to give instructions or suggestions, particularly feedback, in a friendly or sensitive way.”
Georgia enjoys an arch on her sea kayaking course.
On Wednesday, May 2, NOLS will participate in the Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG campaign. The one-day, online giving event aims to inspire Seattle area residents to donate to their favorite local non-profits to build a stronger community. The NOLS Pacific Northwest branch location allows us to partake in GiveBIG, and we do so with the goal of raising $5,000 for one full scholarship to send a Gateway Partner student from the Seattle area, like Georgia, on a NOLS course.
NOLS Gateway Partners are organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities to populations underrepresented in the outdoors. By providing these students with full-tuition scholarships to attend NOLS courses, the school is able to narrow the gap between underserved communities and a life in tune with nature. Gateway Partners in the Seattle area are the Student Conservation Association, Seattle Summer Search, and Metrocenter YMCA Leadership Development Expeditions—BOLD and GOLD Mountain Schools.
Each donation made to NOLS through the Seattle Foundation between midnight and midnight (Pacific Time) on May 2, 2012, will receive a pro-rated portion of the matching funds (or "stretch") pool. What does that mean? If NOLS raises 3 percent of all the money raised through GiveBIG, then we will get 3 percent of the stretch pool. The more you give, the more of the stretch pool NOLS will get. Additionally, throughout the day “Golden Tickets” will be randomly drawn and a lucky donor will have their contribution matched with an additional $1,000.
Last year, every $100 in donations resulted in an additional $14 from the stretch pool, so every gift really does make a difference and results in more funding support for NOLS!
GiveBIG to NOLS on Wednesday and help us send a Seattle area student on a life-changing adventure.
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Apr 30, 2012 in the following categories: Campaign NOLS, On The Net, Pacific Northwest
Donor Profile: Scott Bass Learns it's in the Details
Last summer, NOLS grad Scott Bass and his 12-year-old son, Tyler, travelled to Wyoming to summit the Grand Teton. The second highest peak in Wyoming at 13,775 feet, the Grand towers sharply above Jackson Hole valley. Even though Scott hadn’t climbed in the high mountains in 22 years, he felt like it’d only been a week since he got off his North Cascades Mountaineering course. Skills he learned at NOLS came back naturally as they kick stepped through 2011’s epic snowpack up Garnett Canyon to the lower saddle of the Grand.
“I think that speaks to the depth of the experience of doing it for a month in the Cascades,” Scott explained. “It’s embedded in me now.”
Scott Bass mountaineering on his NOLS course in 1989.
Now an investment advisor, the 43-year-old Atlanta, Ga. resident feels the lasting impact of his NOLS course beyond the backcountry in the business world and at home. One of the sayings that stuck with him is that “details save lives.”
“That really resonated with me,” he recalled. “Certainly in that environment it is important to set protection in the snow, be roped up properly, and use proper technique when you’re travelling across a glacier, but it also applies to everything in life.”
Scott keeps this in mind when dealing with clients and tells it frequently to his kids. For him, this means to “make sure that you think things through, that you take the right precautions. If you’re going to do something, do it right,” he stressed.
Scott and son Tyler on Jupiter Peak in Park City, Utah.
The same goes for Leave No Trace principals in the backcountry. Many people enter the wilderness without the minimal impact mindset.
“People don’t come by [it] naturally. We’re so used to thinking ‘Oh somebody’s going to come behind me and fix this or clean this up.’”
But for Scott, that just doesn’t cut it, which is another reason he appreciates what NOLS teaches. He prefers the untouched wilderness.
“Maybe nobody’s been there for days or weeks, at least that’s how I perceive it,” he said, “The experience that I have is with something that is pristine and new, I should leave it that way so that the next person can have the exact same experience.”
To Scott, this is the most important lesson NOLS can impart on students.
Two years after his course in Washington, Scott donated to NOLS when he began earning regular paychecks. It’s not the only organization he contributes to regularly, and he has a method for selecting them.
“I think first, ‘What are the things that have had the most impact on me in my life, for me as a person?’”
NOLS is in Scott’s top three, and he continues to give back to the school through the annual fund.
“I want to make sure that other people have the opportunity to do what I did, to experience the wilderness. I know that there are people who can’t afford it and programs that need additional funding. I want to help support NOLS.”
To learn more about the NOLS Annual Fund and Campaign NOLS: Endowing Our Core Values, visit NOLS Giving, or contact us at (800) 332-4280 or development@nols.edu.
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Apr 23, 2012 in the following categories: Campaign NOLS, Pacific Northwest
