9
An Everlasting Impact
By Tyler Merrian, Co-Chair of Awards Committee
A wise child once said “Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches of boring routine, and valleys of frustration and failure” (Bill Watterson, from comic strip Calvin and Hobbes). As humorously honest as this observation is, the Awards Committee can thankfully say it has enjoyed a summit of happiness and success this year, culminating with the Awards Banquet at the 2015 AORE National Conference.
One of the many successes for the Awards Committee in 2015 was solidifying many of its internal documents, thus preserving institutional knowledge and providing a framework from which to guide members. Along those lines we were pleased to complete comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), as well as a Committee Charter. Out of these documents arose the main ways in which the Awards Committee is able to support the mission of the AORE:
1. Association Awards: Awards recognizing work, service, or leadership of unusual significance in the field of outdoor recreation and education, including contributions to the Association which are far beyond the ordinary and which have had a significant and lasting impact on the Association and its mission.
2. Professional Development Awards: Awards, in the form of scholarships, offered to AORE members by vendor members and other partners.
3. Other Committee Awards: AORE committee awards not presented by the Awards Committee but supported and organized with the assistance of the Awards Committee (i.e. awards created and presented by other AORE committees).
4. Awards Banquet: The culminating event at the annual AORE Conference in which award winners and sponsors are recognized for their work, service, leadership, and contributions to the AORE and field of outdoor recreation and education.
Of particular note in this list are the Professional Development Awards. This year the Awards Committee was able to distribute scholarships for courses and certifications such as Leave No Trace Master Educator (Landmark Learning), Climbing Wall Instructor (AMGA and PCIA), Single Pitch Instructor (PCIA and AMGA), and Mountaineering Leadership (American Alpine Institute). These awards provide AORE members with essential knowledge and skills to hold themselves, and the industry, to the highest level of professionalism. Furthermore, these awards play a key role in helping AORE vendors promote their programs and gain exposure in the outdoor community. With solidified procedures in place in the form of an updated SOP, the Awards Committee can now focus its energy towards new and diversified initiatives in 2016.
Yet another success for the Awards Committee, and the AORE as a whole, was the creation of The Patsy Kott Service Award. Patsy was a founding member of AORE and exemplified a heart of service both within the association as well as the outdoor recreation and education field. She volunteered countless hours of her life to various AORE initiatives, non-AORE outdoor programs, her church, environmental sustainability efforts, Habitat for Humanity, and various community service projects.
Due to Patsy’s legacy, the Awards Committee and Board of Directors established The Patsy Kott Service Award which recognizes long term professional work or service having a lasting impact on the Association and its mission, distinguished by significant long-term service to support the Association from behind the front lines. Coinciding with this award was a fundraising effort in Patsy’s name, the goal of which was $6,500 by the end of the 2015 AORE National Conference. Thanks to the support of the membership, this goal was successfully reached and marks the first benchmark in this fundraising effort! There is still fundraising to be done to fully fund The Patsy Kott Service Award, yet it is inspiring to see the AORE membership unify around this common goal and honor the legacy Patsy has left for the Association and outdoor community.