Willie Williams UC Santa Cruz Wilderness Orientation Scholarship Fundraiser

Do you remember your Wilderness Orientation experience? Do you remember sitting in the Big Circle at the Stevenson Knoll looking out over a foggy Monterey Bay, watching instructors perform introductory skits? Do you remember the smells of cedar and pine and of seeing the High Sierra? Or the feel of granite on your fingertips? Do you remember the mountain you climbed and shouting for joy at the top with fourteen other adventurers? What was the feeling you left WO with? How did the “WO magic” set the tone for your college experience and After 29 years W.O. is still going strong. perhaps beyond? My name is Erin Browning and I have had the privilege of working for WO for the last five years now. I am lucky enough to work at the Recreation Department where I see the presence of WO in students’ lives every day. I watch WO students grow as individuals and see them find new ways to bring adventure into their lives. For many UC Santa Cruz students, WO has helped them to build relationships with the University, with each other, and with the natural world that have and will last a lifetime. For many students WO was their first opportunity to sleep outside, to wake to the sound of Mountain Chickadees, to watch the alpenglow on the peaks. Perhaps WO has also provided students with their first time to be part of a community where their presence really mattered. Maybe the solo experience offered a time of reflection during a big life transition. Since 1984 WO has provided ten-day expeditions in the High Sierra for over 3,000 students. Each year, one-hundred and twenty incoming students get the opportunity to participate in the program. For the second year running, we will be offering a Sea Kayaking trip to Tomales Bay within Pt. Reyes National Seashore. This trip will be spent moving from beach to beach Expedition style Sea Kayaking, running for the second year. Tomales Bay in Pt. Reyes National Seashore while in Tomales Bay, self supported, and two nights at the Bear Valley visitor center where we will spend a day volunteering with the park. WO is dedicated to running exceptional courses and hiring only the most committed and skilled field staff, all of whom are UCSC students and graduates. We take pride in providing UC Santa Cruz students with a unique introduction to the University and to the High Sierra (and now Pt. Reyes). However, Wilderness Orientation does not receive operating support from the University. Like a WO trip, our program is small and efficient and we are financed by participation fees and gear rentals. The financial contributions we received from many of you last year allowed us to provide 25 half scholarships to students who would have otherwise been unable to attend WO. I am writing to past WO staff, participants, families and friends to request a financial contribution in support of Wilderness Orientation. Donations help to keep participant fees as low as possible and provide much needed scholarships. Your donation could introduce someone to a life of adventure, to a love for wild places, and to a new confidence in themselves. This scholarship fund is named for the founder of the program, Willie Williams (below). The Recreation Program recently renamed the scholarship fund in honor of Willie who lost his fight with cancer four summers ago. Without his hard work, passion, leadership and spirit, WO would not have begun nor be the program that it is today. Please feel free to contact the Wilderness Orientation staff at (831) 459-2807 if you have any questions. I also encourage you to check out our website where you will find photo galleries of recent WO trips as well as information on what we’re up to: www.ucscwildernessorientation.com. On behalf of our current staff and all the students who will benefit, we thank you in advance for your contribution to Wilderness Orientation.

With the spirit of wild places and adventure,

Erin Browning – Wilderness Orientation Field Director Matt Brower – Wilderness Orientation Administrative Director Mark McCarroll – Head of Recreation and Co-Founder of Wilderness Orientation ______Yes, I would like to make a tax-deductible gift to the Willie Williams UC Santa Cruz Wilderness Orientation Scholarship Fund. For your donation we would like to send you our 2013 WO T-shirt this coming fall. Name:______$______Pledge T-Shirt Size (circle one): S M L XL What year were you (or your child) a WO student?______

Comments:______Willie Williams, founder of WO, Address:______will always be remembered. Telephone:______Gift enclosed (Please make check payable to UC Santa Cruz Foundation or complete credit-card payment information) Please charge my gift to my credit card (Visa/Mastercard) Account#______Exp.______Date:______Authorizing Signature:______Thank you for your contribution to Wilderness Orientation! Please mail to: Wilderness Orientation UC Santa Cruz 1156 High St. - OPERS Santa Cruz, CA 95064