July Newsletter: 10 Year Anniversary
Celebrating 10 Years of Success with a $1 Million Challenge
We are excited to be celebrating the milestone of a decade of service and commitment to local youth and families. Originally founded in 2012 by Emily Coombs as the Doug Coombs Foundation, the organization was established to address the lack of representation and promote inclusion of the whole community in outdoor recreation opportunities that define the culture of Jackson Hole.
“Raising my son in Jackson Hole opened my eyes to the lack of representation of working families present in our outdoor recreation programs and culture. Many of my son’s friends from school were nowhere to be found at places like the ski resorts, local trails, or soccer programs,” said Emily Coombs, Founder of Coombs Outdoors. “In an effort to change this, I founded the Doug Coombs Foundation in 2012 to offer the hard-working families of our community the opportunity to join their peers in sports and outdoor activities. I am thrilled to see the growth and success of this organization over the past 10 years. With the help of our supporters and partners, we have succeeded in making much needed changes that have made the outdoor recreation opportunities we all love available and accessible to more people in our community. However, there is still more to be done.”
The first winter Coombs cohort playing in the snow at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, winter of 2012/2013.
Photo by Emily Coombs.
In an effort to make winter sports accessible to everyone, Coombs Outdoors originally funded 28 local children in learn-to-ski programs at Snow King Mountain Resort. 10 years later, the organization provides more than 350 local youth the opportunity to participate in outdoor programs year round, spanning from skiing and snowboarding in the winter, hiking, biking, boating, and climbing in the summer, and year-round high school internships, swimming lessons, afterschool programs, and more.
"You know how some events happen in your life, and at the moment you don’t realize how important they are but looking back you can remember every second of it? That’s how I feel about being offered a position at Coombs."
- Laura Gaylord, Associate Program Director
Coombs participant Angie learning to ski at Snow King, 2012/2013 winter season. Photo by Emily Coombs.
10th Anniversary Million Dollar Challenge!
A group of generous donors has come together to celebrate Coombs Outdoors' 10-year milestone with a 3-year, $1 Million fundraising challenge intended to build consistent annual operating support that will provide the financial resources necessary to build capacity towards developing more programs that serve a greater number of youth in the community.
To address both organizational growth and community demand in a responsible and impactful way, Coombs Outdoors recently completed a 3-5 year strategic plan in which increasing financial sustainability, evaluating program impact, and identifying opportunities for growth are highlighted as priority goals. Five donors have cumulatively committed a challenge grant of $333K annually for three years for a total of $1 Million to help Coombs Outdoors reach these goals. Donor contributions up to $333K per year for the next three years will be matched dollar-for-dollar through this 10th Anniversary $1 Million Challenge.
“Reaching a decade of service to the community is an incredible milestone,” said Marshall Parke, Coombs Outdoors Board Member and one of the grant challengers. “I’ve seen firsthand the growth of this organization and I am inspired by the impact that the life changing services Coombs provides is having on our local youth and their families. I’m excited to see the community show up for this challenge and I’m looking forward to seeing where this type of investment can take the organization in the next 10 years.”
The generous 10th Anniversary $1 Million challenge donors are Marshall and Veronique Parke, the Staryk Family Fund, Kathleen Brown, Mark and Teri Snell, James and Lindsay Wilcox, and Nancy and Tim Gardiner. All gifts from new and existing donors will be matched dollar-for-dollar through the challenge as well as multi-year pledges to support Coombs Outdoors.
“We are so grateful to our 10th Anniversary $1 Million Challenge donors who so deeply believe in the work of this organization and in the philanthropic spirit of this community,” said Jenny Wolfrom Holladay, Executive Director of Coombs Outdoors. “Our momentum as an organization has been growing year-over-year as we work to address the needs expressed by our families. This $1 Million challenge is not only an incredible celebration and acknowledgement of the last decade of success for Coombs Outdoors, but will also provide us with resources to expand capacity and services during a time when it is becoming increasingly harder for working families to live and thrive in Jackson. By joining this challenge, donors will help Coombs Outdoors meet its goals to leverage the power of outdoor recreation to build a sense of community and belonging, increase self-worth and confidence, and improve mental and emotional intelligence for our local youth.”
Coombs Outdoors will be planning several special 10th Anniversary events throughout the year. For more information on how to contribute to the 10th Anniversary $1 Million Challenge, reach out to Jenny Wolfrom Holladay at jenny@coombsoutdoors.org.
Coombs participants learning to ski at Snow King, 2012/2013. Photo by Emily Coombs.
Do you have a favorite Coombs memory? We'd love to hear from you! Please reach out to vanessa@coombsoutdoors.org if you're interested in sharing any stories or photos from your time with Coombs.