Outdoor Foundation receives $1M gift, plus more

BOULDER — The VF Foundation has pledged $1 million to the Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Outdoor Industries Association based in Boulder.

VF Corp., based in Greensboro, N.C., is the parent company of brands such as Lee, Wrangler, The North Face, Timberland and Vans.

VF’s pledge is meant to support the Outdoor Foundation’s goal of  investing in communities to help kids and families get outside. VF is joined by Patagonia and Thule, which have made significant multiyear pledges. In addition, REI has committed to a future investment, according to an announcement from the Outdoor Foundation.

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Getting kids and families into a regular routine of exercising and playing outside is a challenging goal. According to the Outdoor Foundation’s 2018 Outdoor Recreation Participation Report:

• 91 percent of Americans say getting outside for their health is moderately to extremely important, but their actions do not reflect this.
• 20 percent of Americans participate in an outdoor activity only once per week, and 50 percent of Americans are active outdoors only once per year.
• Less than 21 percent of children are active outdoors once or more per a week.

The focus of the Outdoor Foundation is to create Thrive Outside Communities that bring together coordinated programming for kids and families of diverse backgrounds. The foundation hopes to weave the outdoors into the lives of people to help build healthy individuals and healthy communities.

“VF’s outdoor brands, most notably The North Face, are proud supporters of Outdoor Industry Association and have had a strong partnership with OIA over the years,” said Steve Rendle, chairman, president and chief executive of VF Corp. “Throughout our longstanding relationship, we have continually seen important work being done by OIA and its foundation to advance the spirit and passion of the outdoor industry. With this founding-partner gift from VF Foundation, we express our deep gratitude and hope that it inspires others to join in support.”  

“The connection to the outdoors is broken, as both adults and children are overscheduled and over-screened with TVs, smartphones, video games and busy lives,” said Amy Roberts, executive director of Outdoor Industry Association. “The generous support from VF Foundation, Patagonia and Thule will go to communities, organizations and programs focused on reversing the decline of outdoor participation. It is our hope that this support will inspire other outdoor businesses to invest in this critically important work.”

“In today’s world, there are too many barriers to access quality, safe and close-to-home outdoor experiences with positive, affordable programming by trusted community partners,” said Lise Aangeenbrug, executive director of the Outdoor Foundation. “We plan to change that through our focus on investments in multiple organizations working within communities to get kids and families connected to the outdoors and reap the benefits this provides. This funding will help us make getting outside a healthy habit for all.”