<div>Hi, I’m Machin, a high school STEM and Environmental Science teacher from the landlocked Front Range of Colorado — a place where the horizon stretches wide, but the ocean feels a world away. For 16 years, I’ve helped my students explore everything from the mysteries of space to the intricate systems of our planet.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Even though most of them have never seen the ocean or the stars from anywhere beyond our small city, they dream big. Together, we imagine what it might feel like to see Earth from above — that “overview effect” astronauts describe, when they realize how fragile and interconnected our world truly is. That same awe is what I want to bring home from Patagonia.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This March, I’ve been invited to join Mission Patagonia as a Nature Guardian, working alongside scientists, conservationists, and educators to study one of the most extraordinary and fragile ecosystems on the planet. I’ll carry with me our school mascot — a small stuffed Grizzly bear — and a few student-made trinkets as symbols of the curious minds I represent. Every step I take in Patagonia will be for them — for the students who have never left Colorado, but who deserve to see the world through science, wonder, and care.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>When I return, I’ll share my experiences through interactive blogs, classroom lessons, and student-led projects. My goal is to help my students connect global science to their own lives — to see that protecting our planet starts with understanding it.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Over my career, I’ve been honored to serve as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, a SEEC Crew member at Johnson Space Center, and a Teacher Innovator Institute alumnus at the Smithsonian. These opportunities have shaped how I teach — but Mission Patagonia is different. It’s not just professional growth; it’s personal. It’s about bringing the world to students who might never otherwise see it.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>How You Can Help
</div>
<div>I’m raising $5,000 by March 1st to help cover:
</div>
<ul>
<li>Flights to Patagonia
</li>
<li>Housing and meals during the expedition
</li>
<li>Educational materials and student projects inspired by the journey
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Your donation doesn’t just help fund a teacher’s travel — it helps spark wonder and stewardship in hundreds of young minds.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>How You’ll Be Part of This Adventure
</div>
<div>I’ll be sharing updates, reflections, and photos from the field so you can follow along with me and my classroom in real time. Supporters will also be recognized on my Mission Patagonia bio page, and my students will track this journey from Colorado — their Grizzly bear mascot cheering me on from my pack.
</div>
<div>Every gift, big or small, makes a difference. Together, we can show my students that science isn’t just something in a textbook — it’s out there, alive, waiting to be explored.
</div>
<div>Thank you for helping me bring the spirit of Patagonia — and the lessons it holds — back home to Colorado.
</div>
<div>Let’s inspire the next generation of explorers and guardians of our planet, together.
</div>

Katie Navin

Bryan DeBates

Sandra Cosner

Kathleen Mays

Anonymous

Caroline Harvey

Cynthia Claggett

From the Front Range to the Ends of the Earth: A Journey of

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

From the Front Range to the Ends of the Earth: A Journey of

Still $4,275 to go. Help us build momentum.