More than 80,600 PBJs served engaging youth and young adults in the outdoors.
Press Release – Steamboat Springs, Colo. (May 24, 2018) – Rocky Mountain Youth Corps celebrates its 25th year in 2018, continuing its award-winning tradition of engaging youth in the outdoors while linking community, education and environment through service. RMYC, now in its newly remodeled 4,300-square-foot Steamboat Springs, Colo. headquarters, has served 8,365 youth in its two-and-a-half decades of service, including more than 4,000 through its Yampa Valley Science School and 4,200 (ages 11-25) through its youth corps programs.
“It’s a huge milestone, and one we’re very proud of,” says executive director Gretchen Van De Carr, crediting her staff and board for the nonprofit’s resounding success, which includes a $2.9 million annual operating budget. “We’ve come an incredibly long way in a very short time, and our service record shows it.”
RMYC crews perform such services as community cleanups; planting and watering trees; building and maintaining hundreds of trails for hiking, biking and equestrian use; rerouting and maintaining trails on 10 Colorado 14ers and 250 miles of the Continental Divide Trail; felling and removing beetle kill hazard trees from 2,500 acres of public and private lands to reduce wildfire risk; and helping fight five fires on BLM and USFS land.
In addition, RMYC’s Historic Preservation Crews—in partnership with public lands agencies and local, state and national historic preservation groups—have worked to preserve such local iconic structures as the More Barn, Hahn’s Peak Fire Lookout Tower and Yock Cabin (the latter using original homesteader techniques), as well as Granite Creek Cabin and White Grass Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.
RMYC also fosters civic engagement, with a recent survey showing participants are more likely to engage in civic and community service after their tenure. Members complete the program with greater assets for healthy and productive lifestyles, heightened self-esteem and job readiness skills, and a greater sense of responsibility for self, community and the environment. RMYC’s programs also save crucial federal and state land management agency funding—a National Park Service study finds employing youth corps to complete projects generates a 71 percent cost savings. RMYC stimulates the local economy with $750,000 in annual spending on supplies, materials and vehicles, and providing nearly $2 million in wages and benefits to employees. It has also provided AmeriCorps Education Awards to over 1,300 members, totaling $1.7 million.
“This anniversary is an amazing achievement and we could not have done it without our tremendous community support,” says RMYC board president Margi Briggs-Casson.
To celebrate its milestone, RMYC is hosting a 25th Anniversary Party on Friday, September 21, from 4 p.m. –7 p.m. at the RMYC Campus (991 Captain Jack Drive, Steamboat Springs, Colo.), with live music, a pig roast, bonfire, yard games, door prizes and more. The event is free and open to all.
About RMYC
Rocky Mountain Youth Corps engages the strength and potential of youth and young adults to make a difference in themselves and their community through meaningful service opportunities, educational experiences, and group recreational activities. RMYC strives to meet the needs of the communities of northwest Colorado by offering a variety of programs and services for youth ages 11-25 years. For more information visit www.RockyMountainYouthCorps.org.
