Gorham, NH student Connor

Check out the info in the White Mountain Cafe’s newsletter, The White Mountain Expresso.

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“The generosity of the Great Circle Foundation will continue to allow Kismet students to have the opportunity to benefit from the technical and life skills that a climbing education can offer. We are delighted that the Great Circle Foundation has chosen to make Kismet Rock Foundation a philanthropic priority. Our warmest thanks to Great Circle for enabling children from low income families to be a part of the Kismet family,” says Brian Post, Kismet Rock Foundation Board Chairperson.

Kismet Rock Foundation emerged out of a desire of the director, Mike Jewell, to offer the same climbing instruction to economically disadvantaged children as he had given to families throughout his guiding career. In 1999, Mike asked a childhood friend, Stanley West, to find four children in southern New Jersey and bring them to New Hampshire for one week of technical climbing instruction. This initial project was accomplished with little money and with much effort on the part of some very kind and generous people. The project received media attention and Mike started Kismet the next year. Kismet was born in 2000, with the support of many friends and organizations.

Kismet’s summer season will launch in July 2012. To learn more about Kismet, please visit www.kismetrockfoundation.org.

Download as a docx or pdf file.

Chris and Jeannie Bishop, and their son Christopher, started the Ryan E. Bishop Outdoor Leadership Fund to honor the memory of their son and brother, Ryan E. Bishop. Twenty-one-year-old Ryan died tragically during a canoeing trip in southern Utah in late April while saving a friend’s life. During the summer and fall of 2011, his family created two funds to ensure that Ryan’s passion for life and his love of the great outdoors will live on: The Ryan E. Bishop Outdoor Leadership Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Westminster College Scholarship Fund in Salt Lake City. The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation offered a generous 10 percent matching grant to the contributions made in memory of Ryan during the summer.

“Kismet Rock Foundation is honored to be the first Ryan E. Bishop Outdoor Leadership Fund scholarship recipient,” says Brian Post, Kismet Board Chairperson. “This scholarship will be instrumental in allowing several Kismet students to experience the outdoors through the unique perspective that climbing offers. We send our sincerest gratitude to the Ryan E. Bishop Outdoor Leadership Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation for helping Kismet to transform the lives of underserved youth through an education in technical climbing.”

The organization serves students who might not otherwise have an opportunity such as the one Kismet offers. By developing their potential, Kismet prepares students to contribute to their communities and their culture throughout their lives.

Kismet currently serves seven public schools in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts, offering students one week of climbing instruction per summer for four summers. The summer season will begin in July 2012.

For more information about Kismet Rock Foundation, please visit www.kismetrockfoundation.org. For more information about Ryan Bishop and efforts to honor his memory, please visit the Explore for Bishop website, set to launch in 2012 at www.ExploreForBishop.com.

Download as a docx or pdf file.

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2011 Kismet Cliff Run on Active.com

2011 Kismet Cliff Run Registration Form (PDF)

2011 Kismet Cliff Run Press Release (PDF)

La Sportiva will sponsor the third annual Cliff Run to benefit Kismet Rock Foundation on September 18, 2011 at 10:00 AM at Echo Lake State Park in North Conway, NH.

The Kismet Cliff Run is a challenging, five mile race around beautiful Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledges in North Conway, New Hampshire. Come for the steep climbs and descents, technical singletrack, and stunning views, with approximately 1,100 feet of elevation gain. Starts and finishes at Echo Lake State Park. This event is USATF sanctioned, and part of the Eastern New England Trail Running Series. There is also a non-competitive walking division!

La Sportiva is again offering $200 to a runner who can break the course record! There will be prizes for top finishers including La Sportiva shoe gift certificates for 1st place men/women.

Kismet Rock Foundation supports a national effort to increase outdoor participation among Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire youth.

North Conway, NH – JUNE 20, 2011 – The North Face has awarded a $2,400 grant to Kismet Rock Foundation to help children and families explore the outdoors. Kismet Rock Foundation enhances the physical, intellectual and emotional development of well-functioning but economically disadvantaged children by providing access to the immense value of a comprehensive and multi-dimensional education in technical rock climbing. Kismet Rock Foundation was selected from hundreds of applications because of its focus on providing technical rock climbing instructions to economically under-served youth. In the first of two grant cycles in 2011, The North Face awarded $125,000 Explore Fund grants to 52 projects helping more than 30,000 kids to connect to nature.

“We are thrilled that the North Face Explore Fund chose Kismet Rock Foundation as a philanthropic priority. Like North Face’s Explore Fund, Kismet Rock Foundation believes in the physical, emotional and social benefits of connecting young people with the outside world and an active lifestyle. Kismet specifically uses rock climbing as a catalyst for these benefits. Our sincere thanks to the fund for enabling children from low income families in New England to be a part of the Kismet family,” says Sasha Eisele, Kismet’s Board Vice Chair.

Kismet Rock Foundation emerged out of a desire of the director, Mike Jewell, to offer the same climbing instruction to economically disadvantaged children as he had given to many children with greater resources throughout his guiding career. After nearly a decade of consideration, Mike asked a childhood friend, Stanley West, to find four children in southern New Jersey and bring them to New Hampshire for one week of technical climbing instruction. During the summer of 1999, this initial project was accomplished with little money and with much effort on the part of some very kind and generous people. Luckily, the project received media attention, including a piece on the television show “New Hampshire Crossroads.” As a result, Mike was approached by members of the North Conway community with the idea of starting a nonprofit organization. Thus, Kismet was born in the year 2000 with a small board of six, and the support of many friends and organizations.

“First-hand experience is essential to ignite a passion for the outdoors, and that shouldn’t be limited by gender, race or income level,” said Ann Krcik, director of outdoor participation at The North Face. “At The North Face, we’re dedicated to providing everyone with the access to our natural playgrounds and the resources they need to get outside.”

Kismet’s summer season will launch on July 17, 2011. To learn more about Kismet, visit www.kismetrockfoundation.org. To learn more about all of the Explore Fund grantees and to keep up on their progress visit www.planetexplore.com.

About The North Face Explore Fund
The North Face® Explore FundTM is a grant program committed to supporting non-profit, community organizations that break down the barriers preventing children and families from experiencing the outdoors. The Explore Fund, administered by The Outdoor Foundation, finds, engages and provides funding for new partners that help further the mission of inspiring the next generation of explorers and conservationists by helping them discover nature’s playground.

About PlanetExplore
PlanetExplore is an online community founded by The North Face, powered by partner organizations that share a passion for the outdoors, and designed to help individuals and families learn about and participate in outdoor activities and events in their area. PlanetExplore is a portal to the outdoors designed to inspire and enable people of all ages to become regularly active outside, and to enjoy the benefits gained through a connection to nature.

For more information, please visit our websites:
The Explore Fund www.explorefund.com
PlanetExplore www.planetexplore.com

Contact: Alyssa Walker – Executive Director
603-730-2715

North Face Press Release (docx file)
North Face Press Release (pdf file)

Contact: Alyssa Walker, Executive Director, Kismet Rock Foundation

603.229.7043

Email Alyssa

Slide Show to Benefit Kismet Rock Foundation at the White Mountain Cafe in Gorham, NH, June 10: Wild Stone – Climbing the Unclimbed from the Arctic to Arabia

Kismet Rock Foundation Board member Sasha Eisele will host Sarah Garlick’s slide show at the White Mountain Cafe in Gorham on Friday June 10, 2011 at 7 PM. Garlick’s multi-media presentation will feature new free climbing routes from the fjords of Greenland to the deserts of Jordan. Donations accepted at the door will support summer scholarships for Gorham students to attend Kismet in 2011.

With professional photography, audio clips, and short videos, Garlick tells stories from her latest two expeditions: a journey to the granite big walls of South Greenland, and an exploration of the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. Garlick’s presentation focuses on the common core of both expeditions: a quest to find—and climb—untouched cliffs in some of the world’s wildest locations. Garlick talks about what it takes to be an expedition climber in the modern era, from discovering an objective and putting together a team, to the inevitable ups and downs of the journey itself.

“Wild Stone” shares stories and images of Garlick’s 2010 expedition to Greenland, where she and her three teammates established a new, 2,000-foot free route up a remote granite wall. This expedition was supported by the prestigious Copp-Dash Inspire Award.

The presentation also premiers new photography and video footage from an expedition to the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan this winter, where Garlick and fellow climber Caroline George established a new sandstone adventure route called Uprising.

Sarah Garlick is an avid rock, ice, and alpine climber from the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where she works as a science writer and educator. Garlick is the author of an award-winning book, “Flakes, Jugs and Splitters: A Rock Climber’s Guide to Geology,” and her climbing adventures are supported by Outdoor Research and La Sportiva.

Links:
www.kismetrockfoundation.org
www.whitemountaincafe.com

Downloads:
Wild Stone press release (MS Word document)

North Conway, New Hampshire – April 25, 2011 – Flatbread Company, Frontside Grind Coffee and Espresso, and International Mountain Equipment, three exemplary local businesses, have teamed up to offer an innovative, rewarding way to raise funds for Kismet Rock Foundation.

Donors of $100 or more to Kismet’s summertime educational programs and/or those who sign up for Kismet’s monthly giving program at any amount will receive a coupon for a free large pizza from Flatbread Company, a free 12- or 16-ounce espresso-based drink from Frontside Grind and 10% off all shopping until September 1 at International Mountain Equipment.

“Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledges are the premier cliffs for North Conway rock climbing,” said Brian Post, Kismet Board Chairman. “I can’t think of a better compliment to a day on those cliffs than morning coffee at Frontside Grind, stocking up on gear at International Mountain Equipment, and finishing the day with pizza at Flatbread Company. These local businesses are already big supporters of Kismet’s educational climbing programs, so we really appreciate their additional contributions to this special campaign.”

The Kismet Board of Directors is adding leverage to encourage donor support with their own challenge; the board will be matching all donations until June 1, 2011 up to $6,300.

The Village Variety Pass is available to donors until August 1, 2011.

Please visit www.kismetrockfoundation.org to donate to Kismet Rock Foundation today!

Kismet Rock Foundation enhances the physical, intellectual and emotional development of well-functioning but economically disadvantaged children by providing access to the immense value of a comprehensive education in technical rock climbing. By developing their potential, Kismet prepares students to positively contribute to their communities and their cultures throughout their lives. http://www.kismetrockfoundation.org

The Flatbread Company story begins in 1998 in Amesbury, Massachusetts, when
we opened our minds and then the doors, to the Flatbread Company. At “Flatbread”, the food is sacred. More often than not, the first bite of one of our flatbreads, for a first time customer, is very nearly a spiritual experience. http://flatbreadcompany.com/2007Home.htm

Frontside Grind Coffee and Espresso: really good coffee and espresso. http://www.frontsidecoffee.com/

International Mountain Equipment was founded in 1974 by Frank Simon, Bill Aughton and Paul Ross. In August 1979 RickWilcox purchased I.M.E. from its founders. Since that time I.M.E. has become a legend, and the number one outdoor shop for serious hikers, climbers and skiers in Northern New England. http://www.ime-usa.com/

60 Minutes – Gospel for Teens – Part 1
60 Minutes – Gospel for Teens – Part 2

These segments can also be viewed on the YouTube channel for 60 Minutes: Part 1 and Part 2.