This Giving Tuesday, I have the fantastic opportunity to share with you all the specific non-profits who have financially supported this business and my career this year, by either sponsoring an Adult Mental Health First Aid Certification Course through Dirt & Tears for their community or furthering my career through scholarship.
The Freeflow Institute
The Freeflow Institute supported me in attending the “Running to Stand Still Workshop” in Whitefish, Montana, with Brendan Leonard. (Their nonprofit arm is The Freeflow Foundation.) It was six days of trail running, writing, and nonstop laughter. If you’ve been paying attention or know me well, you’ll know that this means it was absolute heaven. However, I wouldn’t have been able to attend if it hadn’t been for a partial scholarship.
After learning about the opportunity through Brendan (the world famous creator of Semi-Rad.com and the humble author of a few very rad books), I was relieved to see scholarship opportunities. Unlike all the other trips I go on, or classes I attend, this one was more like a retreat, with a bed and all four meals (+ constant running snacks) supplied. It was a lofty idea, but I wanted it badly.
On March 31st, 2023, I applied for the scholarship. Then, on April 11th, I received my rejection letter. As a freelance writer, these letters are common and often barely phase me. Plus, this one in particular was the nicest rejection I’d ever received, plus they offered feedback. I said I understood and knew that the scholarship would go to someone who needed it and deserved it, and then I hung my head for the rest of the day but moved on.
On April 28th, I was notified that they’d somehow found a partial scholarship for me. I honestly don’t know how or why, but they were trying to help me get there. I knew immediately that I had to figure out where to find the rest of the cash over the coming months. I felt like they were doing what they could to make it happen on their end, so now it was my turn. I was committed, so I started emailing other brands and organizations for financial support. Nothing came of those emails, except for a few writing pitches that GearJunkie accepted that would give me a little more cushion in the bank account to pay my debt.
*Photo Credits: Forrest Boughner (Alpine Running Guides), Chandra Brown, and Kaitlyn Asken.
If I hadn’t received that scholarship, I wouldn’t have said yes, and I wouldn’t have proven that I could find the money for something I wanted to do even though it felt too expensive, and I wouldn’t have enjoyed one of the most impactful writing and running experiences of my life. From that workshop, I learned that I could run five days in a row, and feel good, rather than depleted. I learned that I am funny – I can write humorous stories and I can use this unique and challenging skill to provide levity in the highly emotional narratives I share. I learned that a group of humor-focused trailer runners and writers are just about the funniest people in the world and that laughter is in fact the best medicine. I learned I could have casual conversations with a creator I admire, over a meal or while running. I learned that spending weeks and months on a single personal narrative can be incredibly satisfying and exciting to feel the slow burn of it editing it to perfection while pondering where it should be published (still in the editing and pondering phase).
I learned that I didn’t need to have another company or website that wanted to publish my work because I have my own website and my own brand that people enjoy and trust. I learned that I have stories that people want to read and when I write in my most raw and vulnerable way, it is well received. I learned that I really, really, love editing/critiquing other people’s non-fiction work and I can include this as part of my services. I learned that Taylor Swift fans wear friendship bracelets that have certain words on them – as a fan of both friendship bracelets and music that moves us and makes us feel more authentic and loved, I fully support this as a non-participant. I learned that my garlic intolerance is very real and needs to be treated seriously so I don’t feel ill.
I could go on and on, but most importantly, I learned about an incredible organization called The Freeflow Insitute, as well as the incredible woman who founded it and runs it. “The Freeflow Institute is a Montana-based collaborative offering workshops and adventures for creative people in Earth’s wildest classrooms.” Most of their workshops are spent rafting down a river, and most are focused on writing, but there are a few exceptions, like the one I attended. To learn more about Chandra Brown (Director) and The Freeflow Foundation, I highly recommend listening to this Mountain Prairie Podcast episode. I listened to it in the weeks coming up to our workshop, and it shed so much light on the beautiful organization I decided to be a part of.
The Freeflow Foundation is the organization’s nonprofit arm that helps support creators like me to afford the incredible programs offered. “A 501(c)(3) based in Missoula, Montana that works to amplify the voices and stories of marginalized communities by making Freeflow Institute courses more accessible to individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of ability to pay.”
- https://freeflowfoundation.org/
- 2023 FreeFlow Scholars (including me)
- Freeflow Institute Instagram
- Post about Running to Stand Still Workshop (including photos of me)
- Freeflow Foundation Instagram
- Become a Patreon for Brendan Leonard
Kirkwood Rescue Avalanche Dogs (KRAD)
Many of you know that I lived and worked at Kirkwood Mountain Resort since February of 2016, so I have been familiar with, and supporting, this organization for years. However, it wasn’t until a few months ago that I received support in return! The President of KRAD contacted me to let me know they had already set aside funds to sponsor an entire in-person Adult Mental Health First Aid Certification Course for ski patrollers and other departments at Kirkwood.
Last week, right before a few days of rest, and less than two weeks before the planned opening date for the mountain, we spent eight hours in the Expedition Kirkwood conference room with 11 employees, navigating through challenging content, experiences, and discussions. This was, by far, one of the best classrooms I’ve been a part of since I began teaching. The questions, the vulnerability, and the feedback on how the material would impact their roles and their personal lives were incredible. It made me hope, more than ever, that we can offer more courses at my home mountain.
I know personally how much mental health and substance use challenges have touched the lives of these employees. Those who work at Kirkwood face unique challenges that other populations I teach do not encounter regularly. We’ve had traumatic events from snowpack and also mental health crises. Substance use ranges from social to early signs and symptoms to overdose, and in such a remote area, it can often be the main activity both during the day by customers, and after the lifts are spinning by everyone. We’ve had isolation events, where the roads are closed in both directions, record-breaking snow levels, car accidents, and more. Physically getting to a therapy appointment, whether in person or through telehealth, can be a logistical nightmare for those living on mountain. We’ve even faced grief, where colleagues have died either from physical health conditions or mental health conditions and these hit our community fucking hard.
With all this, we also have the strongest and closest community I have ever encountered in the States. Even still, we need training, reminders, and resources. It is absolutely crucial to lower burnout, increase retention, and most importantly, reduce secondary impacts of mental health and substance use challenges (like job loss and often times at Kirkwood, this also means loss of housing). We need it to save lives.
Kirkwood Rescue Avalanche Dogs centers on our cute furry friends who save the lives of people recreating at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. These dogs go through extensive training, and not all of the puppers pass the test. (I’ve personally been buried in an avalanche hole while I waited for one of our pups to come and find me.) To support these trainings and these life-saving colleagues (who look a little different than the rest of us but make a considerable impact) KRAD also sells t-shirts and holds fundraisers each year, both of which are some of the most popular offerings at Kirkwood. The people who run KRAD are top-notch in our community, incredibly talented, and have committed their time as volunteers. If you see one of the doggos out and about in their red vests, say hello to their handler too!
KRAD Education Scholarship (separate from the funding provided for our course)
You can send donations through Venmo @KRAD-foundation or email kradfoundation@gmail.com with requests for other ways to contribute.
American Avalanche Association
I can’t tell you how I stumbled across A3 as a partner, but one day, I discovered they have a Resilience Grant. I’d been talking to Heavenly Mountain Resort about hosting an Adult Mental Health First Aid Certification training for about two years at that point, and a contact had recently reached out with renewed vigor and commitment to making it happen. However, finding the budget at that time in the season – at the end of a record-breaking snowfall year where power outages, wind, and too much snow to keep up with caused unforeseen closures – was a challenge.
I sent the link to the grant application, unsure if our course would be eligible, and my colleague immediately applied. A few weeks later, he’d been notified that the grant had been approved! This one grant led to the very first AMHFA Cert course at Heavenly (that I’m aware of). A week or two after we held the course, certifying 15 employees, there was a mental health crisis. Fortunately, two of the employees who had taken the course were available, and they offered their skills to help descalate and try to bring the person to safety. And they did.
When the Director of Mountain Operations shared this event with me over the phone, tears welled in my eyes. Not only because we were able to save a life, and reduce emotional trauma for everyone involved, but because the work I am doing, the commitment I’ve made to contracting my services to outdoor professionals, is making a difference.
A few months later, that same director reached out to discuss the cost and dates for future courses. They were able to budget enough funds to schedule three full certification courses throughout the ’23/’24 season, which will train up to 45 employees from every department. It’s a huge investment that will leave exponential returns.
Not only does A3 offer resilience training grants to organizations, but they also offer individual grants to people seeking professional mental health support that work in avalanche mitigation.
“The American Avalanche Association (A3) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to professional excellence in avalanche safety, education and research in the United States.”
The Mountaineers
“The Mountaineers is a nonprofit outdoor community of 15,000 active members in the Pacific Northwest. […] For over 100 years, our volunteers have been teaching skills, sharing adventures, creating volunteers, and conserving land.”
Being hired by The Mountaineers was one of my first big successes after moving to full-time self-employed. I’ve been connected to this organization primarily through their publishing company. As a memoir writer, I’m a bit of a fan, with countless books on my shelves personally signed by authors who have The Mountaineers stamp on the spine of the book. I’ve even sent my complete book proposal to one of their editors and have been working over the years to improve my book to be the highest quality based on their feedback.
So, when Michelle Song wanted to talk to me about offering a private Adult Mental Health First Aid to their volunteers through their Leadership Development Series, I was giddy. During the winter of ’22/23 they hired me to teach a full certification course, virtually, and also to run two of my shorter workshops (Caring & Coping On and Invisible Injuries). It was my biggest partnership up until that point, and a huge win since I was teaching my target audience – outdoor recreationists and professionals.
The volunteers who I taught run various activities and events in the PNW, from guided hikes, runs, kayaking trips, climbing, biking, and more. Some volunteers have been a part of the org for years and years, and some are brand new. All offer their time to others who want to spend more time outside but need a little guidance to get here, or want more connection while enjoying it.
- The Mountaineers Foundation
- Leadership Development Series for volunteers (where my courses and workshops are offered)
- Activities the volunteers run for participants
- Events The Mountaineers Hosts for the community
- Courses The Mountaineers offer for participants
Chief Seattle Club
CSC offered their employees a virtual Adult Mental Health First Aid Certification Course in December of 2023.
“Chief Seattle Club is a Native-led housing and human services agency. We believe that a world without homelessness is possible by leading with Native values. We provide sacred space to nurture, affirm, and strengthen the spirit of urban Native people.”
My favorite part of working with CSC was their flexibility and commitment to scheduling and hosting a course within a few weeks. I felt incredibly honored, and also a little nervous, to be guiding a group with such a strong culture. It’s a culture that has always been close to my heart and is partly related to my familial background, but it is not a culture of my own, and not a culture that I can come anywhere close to saying I fully understand. Yet, I was very open to learning and looked forward to connecting with this group.
What I learned most, above all else, was that they liked to use humor in all aspects of life, even when talking about complicated things like mental health and substance use challenges (which are pretty prevalent in their community). As someone who tends to treat these topics more seriously but uses laughter as my self-care, it was wonderful to be invited into this environment to embrace and encourage this use of humor. What’s more, we talk extensively in AMHFA about cultural considerations, espeically around accepting and supporting spiritual leaders as valid and helpful resources to encourage someone to connect with when they are struggling, if that is part of their culture. I appreciated being in a classroom (virtual) with others who understand the value of such people in our lives.
Donating to CSC is a great way to support #GiveNative on this Giving Tuesday.
- https://www.chiefseattleclub.org
- Follow Chief Seattle Club on Instagram.
NOLS | OB | SCA
Did you know that NOLS, Outward Bound, and the Student Conservation Association together host an annual conference for companies that guide outdoors? It’s called the Wilderness Risk Management Conference. I initially learned about this event over a year ago, a few weeks before the 2022 conference in Vermont.
This year, for 2023 in Portland, Oregon, I first applied to lead a pre-conference workshop or a conference workshop. I figured if all of these people are required to take Wilderness First Responder Courses, they should also be taking Mental Health First Aid, and they probably don’t even know about the certification yet. My application to run a workshop was not accepted, but my application for a vendor scholarship was!
It was my first tabling event and the first conference I’d committed to since the previous year when I spent way too much on a writing conference that ended up not being worth the time and money. Since it was in Portland, I thought I could make the travel and accommodation costs pretty affordable. Anyway, I spent what little time and energy I could to prep my table with a brand new tablecloth, some swag, and lots of information. I came to the event unsure of what I might get out of it and who would even be there.
First, I was prioritized as a vendor by being placed front and center, which felt lovely. Second, I immediately met dozens of people and most already had a general idea of what MHFA was! My follow-up form filled up quickly, and the in-depth conversations around training employees to not only be better at their jobs but also decrease burnout and increase retention, were both invigorating and exhausting. What’s more, I was invited to attend the workshops. I learned from other professionals, but also took vigorous notes on how to improve my proposals to host a workshop the following year, based on what was left out of workshops and the questions the audiences were asking.
Overall, it was the best conference I’ve ever attended, and I imagine I will want to attend every year. I’m looking forward to continuing conversations with many of the connections I made there, and I hope it leads to new partnerships that I can share on this same post next year for Giving Tuesday!