Gear Giveaway: OGE & Cotopaxi Team Up For DREAM!

The outdoor industry has a LOT of work to do when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Outdoor Gear Exchange included. We are working on plans to improve DEI within our own business, and also trying to get creative on other ways to support existing organizations that already do a great job supporting marginalized minority groups in the outdoors. As part of these efforts, we are excited to announce a fundraiser contest with Cotopaxi to support Vermont’s DREAM Program!

The Fundraiser Giveaway Has Ended!

A huge thank you to everyone who participated—with your help and Cotopaxi's generous donation, we've managed to raise over $2,000 for the DREAM Program! We'll be announcing the winner of our prize package by the end of the day on 9/8.

DREAM's Mission

DREAM’s mission is to close the opportunity gap for children living in low-income housing. They offer several services to create opportunities for low-income children:

• Adventures: The expansion of adventure programming will allow our youth to go on local and regional adventures such as backpacking, city wildlife field trips, nature walks, hiking, and more. Youth will strengthen their relationships with their own home cities and towns as well as exploring new locations while broadening their worldview.
• Summer Enrichment Programming: Over the summer, our youth lose access to their college student mentors. To address this, we bring in summer staff to provide fun and educational programming directly in the communities 4 days a week.
• Camp: DREAM owns a 52-acre reserve in northern Vermont, called Camp DREAM, which hosts summer and winter camp sessions for our youth. During the summer months, we provide overnight environmental-focused summer camp sessions with activities that include mountain biking, swimming, gardening, and more. In the winter, youth may participate in day or overnight sessions and explore the beautiful snow-covered camp property through activities such as snowshoeing, playing broomball on the frozen pond, and sledding.
• Mentoring: Our college student mentors provide tailored mentoring activities to the youth in both individual and team settings. Mentors provide weekly college campus-based one-on-one and team mentoring during the school year.

Learn more about the DREAM Program Here.

Cotopaxi’s mission

Cotopaxi’s creed, Do Good, touches every aspect of the company. From their giving model to their company culture and sustainable product design, they see their business as a vehicle to make a positive impact.

As a certified B Corporation, Cotopaxi puts 1% of its revenue toward addressing poverty and supporting community development. Through their grant program, the Cotopaxi Foundation, they promote organizations successfully improving the human condition and help alleviate global poverty. The foundation boosts grantmaking, democratizes their impact, and helps them make a bigger difference in the communities they touch. To date, they have awarded 42 grants in six focus countries to the following organizations:

• International Rescue Committee
• Fundacion Escuela Nueva
• UN Foundation - Nothing But Nets
• Mercy Corps
• Utah Refugee Services

Learn more about Cotopaxi Here.