Scholarship Recipients 2024
I want to thank you all for organizing a great trip to Grout Pond Hut. The campers all seemed to have a good time and learned to push themselves out of their comfort zone. I appreciate Mischa's organization and ability to work so well with our campers. They trusted and respected him while learning about living outdoors. I hope that Kingdom East School District can provide this type of trip again next year.
Thanks so much,
Lisa Paquette
The Catamount Trail Association’s Ski Cubs program uses nordic skiing to get kids
outside during the winter, engaging them in a fun and often new activity and teaching
them a lifelong sport. We are in schools across Vermont and serve more than 1,300
students per year. Over the past 12 years, we’ve grown our program and slowly added
a small amount of new equipment. This past season, thanks to the support from the
Reeno Foundation, we were able to replace the original skis that were purchased when
the program started! It’s important that when kids are first learning to ski, they have
access to equipment that works well and is easy to use. We knew that the older skis
were a discouragement because they were difficult for students to clip into, and are so
grateful to the Reeno Foundation for providing the financial support that allowed us to
replace the old skis with new ones! The skis get a lot of use, 6 days a week for 3-4
months, depending on snow conditions- and our students really noticed and appreciated
the upgrade. Our partnership with Madshus allowed us to get a great deal as well,
maximizing the impact of what we could purchase with the Reeno Foundations grant.
These skis will impact the lives of hundreds of students a year for many years to come!
Hello! My name is
Natalie Hauptman. I was born and raised in southern Maine but followed my
passion for the outdoors west, and have been living between Salt Lake City, UT,
and Yosemite, CA for the past three years. I have had the great opportunity to
work as an outdoor educator, both as a ski instructor and a backpacking guide.
My belief is that outdoor education is about inspiring others to have a
relationship with the land or outdoor space that they find themselves in. The
physical challenge often seems the most daunting but when we are face to face
with hardship, we find that the mental challenge can be much greater. When we
see ourselves and others overcome these immense challenges it makes way for a
new perspective, perhaps even a new sense of self. It forces us to reconcile
want versus need, and recognize the importance of taking care of oneself and
the significance of community. Overall, we teach others that they are capable
of so much more than they know. I have been extremely privileged and grateful
for my many opportunities to benefit from experiential and outdoor learning and
have made it my personal mission to share this opportunity with others. Having
both participated and taught in outdoor spaces, I truly recognize the benefit
of the outdoors and have seen first-hand how these spaces positively impact the
lives of so many. The Reeno Foundation assisted me in achieving my goal of
completing my AIARE Level 1 course this past winter '24, in order to grow my
skills and abilities and practice safe backcountry travel in winter. I look
forward to implementing these skills both in my personal and professional
missions in the future.
I
am exciting to share the unbelievable experiences I have made in light of my
AIARE 1 course. I did just want to preface another huge thank you for this
scholarship. AIARE 1 would not have been a possibility without our generosity.
Since
I can remember I have been so passionately drawn to the outdoors. The calming,
welcoming, and adventures presence of nature has forever been undeniable to me.
This connection is specifically strong in the mountains. I have always felt a
sense of peace and humility when immersed in towering peaks. I grew up skiing,
and while I am still a fan of ripping some resort laps, that sense of peace and
serenity has never been quite fulfilled when spending time in the chaos of a
mountain resort. I always have been intrigued and drawn to explore the
untouched and endless slopes and valleys of the backcountry, but knew the
mountains were unforgiving and I had to be educated and prepared if I ever were
to expose myself to such terrain This led me try and sign up for my first AIARE
1/Rescue Course. It wasn’t until I was about to sign up however that I
understood the monetary commitment of the classes. This was money I did not
have as I was paying for my college tuition and rent on my own. However, with
the generosity of the Reeno Foundation I was finally able to complete my AIARE
1/Rescue course and begin my travels into the backcountry that I had been so
anxiously awaiting to do.
Since
the completion of this course, I completed 4 separate peak summits and
expeditions. These include Shrine Mountain, Uneven Peak, Chicago Ridge, and
Freedmont Pass. The experience of these ski summits have given me an
incomparable lessons in humility and appreciation. Appreciation of the
mountains I am so grateful to be able to explore and understand I am never more
powerful than the landscapes and nature around me. So from the bottom of my
heart, thank you Reeno Foundation for supporting me in learning those lessons
and gaining the knowledge and skills to come back home at the end of the day.
Best,
Gianna
Carroll
Uneva
Peak Summit,
SPI Reflection
Amanda Schelling
July 15, 2024
SPI Reflection
This Spring, I completed a Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) course through the American
Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). I was able to do this thanks to a scholarship provided by
the Reeno Foundation. I am 26 years old, and am an experienced Registered Nurse, with a
background in Critical Care. During college, I spent most of my free time in the White
Mountains, as I grew up in New Hampshire spending family trips there. After college, I
transitioned to hiking, backpacking, and eventually, climbing. Over the years, I really found
myself in the outdoors. Living in the White Mountains allowed me to explore climbing more.
Through climbing, I made some amazing connections with other recreational climbers and
guides. The climbing community always felt welcoming.
I spent my free time furthering my education in some basic avalanche training, a
Wilderness First Responder Course, a Rock Climbing Self-Rescue Course, some ice climbing, as
well as some guided clinics to fine-tune other skills. Working through covid as a nurse was a
difficult time. During the end of that time period, I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, (a continuous
footpath from Mexico to Canada), by myself. The hike left me wanting to live a more
meaningful and deeper life. Finding a way to share nursing with guiding became my goal, as I
think these paths can complement each other nicely. I am happy that I am taking steps towards
perhaps a less traditional career path that excites me. The Renno Foundation has supported me
by seeing value in my goals and journey.
My SPI course was excellent - from my instructor, to location, education, and
coursemates. I felt a new level of confidence and safety awareness from a now larger tool box of
knowledge. Since the course, I have had the pleasure of shadowing an amazing mentor during
some of her rock climbing clinics and guiding days. I am currently hoping to continue to shadow
her throughout the summer, as well as practicing skills that I have learned in the course, and
continuing to work on my own personal climbing. My current goal is to take the SPI exam before
the end of this year. I am excited to think about passing my exam, and to begin guiding as a SPI,
while continuing to perhaps pursue further paths with the AMGA.
Whether it is pushing yourself mentally and or physically, or just having fun on a nice
day with friends, there is so much value to climbing. The trust, connections, and closeness you
develop with your partners, feeling connected to your body and movement, and the adventures
and beautiful places it will bring you, the list goes on. I think most importantly it has been
teaching me how to be more present, be more mindful, feel more confident in myself, and to
slow down. I am so incredibly thankful for the generosity of the Reeno Foundation for being a
part of this journey, and for helping my goals feel more achievable.
