Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation

Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation – Helping Children Save Lives and Build Relationships with Their Families

Would you like your child to build self-confidence, strengthen familial bonds, and learn potentially life-saving skills?

That’s exactly what happens at the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation. In fact, young teen Isabella Ferrari used the CPR skills she learned to save the life of a five-year-old girl. The girl had fallen into a swimming pool and was unconscious. Adults at the scene of the incident called paramedics, but none of them knew CPR or how to help the girl in the meantime.

Finally, a frantic knock was heard at Isabella’s front door. It was a neighbor asking her father if he knew CPR. Unfortunately, he did not. But he did remember that his daughter Isabella had learned CPR at the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation’s Outdoor Adventures class. He informed his daughter of the situation and asked if she could help.

Feeling prepared because of the class she took; Isabella was willing to perform CPR on the young girl. Ultimately, the life of the girl was saved. And it’s clear that Isabella’s performance of CPR played a huge role in the girl’s survival. Not only does Isabella feel wonderful about her actions, but as you can imagine, her father couldn’t be more proud.

This, and many other reasons, is why Mullen & Mullen proudly supports the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation. Shane Mullen, Managing Partner here at Mullen & Mullen, has this to say about the foundation:

In our hyper connected world, it’s so easy to become disconnected from what really matters… Family, Friends, Love, Kindness, Respect, Values. That was certainly my case growing up. I’m thankful my parents sent me to Colorado for six weeks as a kid. We hiked, camped and ultimately built lasting bonds. That experience, above all, helped me find my roots. For me, it is a no-brainer to support a cause as fantastic as Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation. There is no question in my mind that taking kids out in nature helps them ground, learn new skills, and gain self-confidence.

This story is an extreme example of the difference the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation makes in your child’s life. After all, it’s not every day you can save someone’s life!

How Does the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation Help the Typical Child?

A more common experience results in children gaining self-confidence and building better relationships with their families. For example, how many children remember making their first basket or scoring their first soccer goal? Scarcely a child would be able to tell you.

However, ask a child about catching their first fish, and they’ll be able to tell you the whole story. They can likely even show you a picture.

The problem though is that many children today have never gone fishing. And more than likely, they’ll never take the time to do so.

The Outdoor Adventures class, on the other hand, gives your child the opportunity to go fishing and catch their first fish. Not only is this a highlight in your child’s young life, but they frequently bring their enthusiasm home too. Their family then goes fishing with them. Suddenly, you have stronger familial bonds and memories that last a lifetime!

Another more typical experience rests in archery, by far the most popular Outdoor Adventures class. 92% of schools who include Outdoor Adventures in their curriculum use the archery class.

And it’s easy to understand why. What child doesn’t love the stories of Brave or Robin Hood?

In addition, archery has a niche for every interest and physical capability. Patient people can learn to bow hunt. Active personalities love target shooting. History buffs enjoy practicing with long bows and mounted archery. Self-defense enthusiasts like crossbows.

To top it off, even though archery seems dangerous, it’s the safest sport in schools. It has far fewer injuries than all the most common sports children play such as basketball, soccer, volleyball, football, baseball, fishing, golf, cheerleading, and others.

Safety is always drilled in from the get-go as the number one concern for all archers. Archers always aim in one direction – at the target and away from people. There’s low risk of accidentally firing a shot. And because everyone fires in a single direction, other people are not caught in the line of fire. 

Statistically speaking, the most common archery injury is when a hunter cuts themselves on a broadhead arrow or falls out of a tree. In addition to the incredible safety, archery is a sport your child can continue to enjoy literally for the rest of their lifetime. You may have to modify the equipment you use. But you can still enjoy archery literally well into your 80s.

The good thing is that none of these outdoor activities is expensive or overly complicated. In Outdoor Adventures classes, children learn how to make their own makeshift fishing rod with a string and an empty water bottle. They then go on to learn how to fish with a rod and reel.

Archery is easily affordable for the beginner. As you gain skill and become intermediate or advanced, costs can rise. However, they remain within the reach of nearly everyone.

The Cumulative Difference the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation Makes

In addition to fishing and archery, The Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation allows children to learn a full range of outdoor activities, such as hunter’s education, boater education, trapping, camping, camp cooking, and others.

It is by far the largest program of its kind in the nation and is currently present in 1,000 K-12 public and private schools. 95,000 students are enrolled this year alone. And during the past year, students spent a total of 10 million hours learning about the outdoors!

That’s not enough, however. OTF aims to give every secondary school student in the United States the opportunity to participate. Even with its impressive numbers, OTF still is far from achieving that goal.

Currently, the program uses an endowment to assist with expansion. To help young children build self-confidence, strengthen familial bonds, and learn potentially life-saving skills through outdoor activities, support the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation by becoming a member today!