100 ELK OUTDOOR CENTER

Spring and fall at the A/U Ranches are seasons of secular programming through 100 Elk, leveraging the value of our mountain facility for the community. The 1,888 participants served in FY2022 came from schools in Colorado and New Mexico, which provided outdoor education curriculum to their students. New staff – a new director and second lead instructor – came on board to lead the programs, bringing with them valuable experience.

“I saw a student on the zipline platform move from tears to joy as she jumped off the platform.”

Horses and Open Hearts

Staff at 100 Elk look for ways to serve all schools, regardless of their funding. So when an opportunity arose to help Sopris Elementary School, a Title 1 school in Glenwood Springs, CO, they moved on it.

Over the last six years, Sopris has offered the horsemanship component of 100 Elk’s outdoor education at an extra cost to students able to afford the fee. 100 Elk was able to direct more than $1,600 in grant funding to enable all students to enjoy the horsemanship program.

For the third summer, 100 Elk ran outdoor adventure activities for local elementary, middle and high school students. Two one-week sessions of Youth Adventure Day Camp followed the secular programming model of 100 Elk and were open to all participants, running concurrently with A/U Ranches Youth Camp.

– Teacher with a school participating at 100 Elk

Feedback from the 37 students, 11 parents and 3 teachers included a highlight “that every camper got to horseback ride. Thank you for your generosity.” Others wrote, “The kids are all ecstatic. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” and “This will be a trip to put in the books.”

To help schools with limited resources participate, 100 Elk received and distributed $13,700 in grant funding in FY2022.

One of the Sopris students was a 5th-grader described as “legally blind and deaf, and on the autism spectrum,” and who required the use of a wheelchair. This student was thrilled to ride for more than 45 minutes in the corral under the direction of an experienced equine therapy staff member and team of supporters.