REACH Outdoor Education

Our names are Grace McCarthy and Carolyn Holan and we are seniors at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio. We took over REACH the spring of our junior year as Abby and Addie prepared to leave for college.

Addie Klimek and Abby Rathbun are recent alumnae of Hathaway Brown. During their sophomore year at HB, each of them spent a semester at the Alzar School, an outdoor school in Cascade, Idaho that emphasizes student leadership, cultural exchange, and environmental stewardship.

In September 2016, they began creating REACH, a program dedicated to bringing the love of outdoors, environmental science, and cross-cultural awareness to middle school girls.  REACH stands for Reaching Environmental Awareness and Cultural Harmony, and is a monthly program currently set-up for twenty middle school girls – ten from our school and ten from Campus International School. Girls currently participating in REACH include students from Yemen and Nepal. Through REACH, we hope to foster a greater cultural awareness and understanding amongst each girl and promote the creation of long lasting friendships.

The REACH activities take place at various outdoor venues, including Cleveland’s Metroparks, and range from hiking and snowshoeing to learning about downtown Cleveland’s environmental history. Each activity includes an environmental science lesson.  We believe  environmental science is an imperative topic to learn about because the earth is at a critical point in history, and the more we understand, the more power we can have to make a difference for the better.

We have started this GoFundMe Page because we are in need of funds to continue REACH.  We need money to cover supply costs (such as journals, compasses and water bottles for the girls), and also funds to pay for costs associated with certain activities that require the rental of equipment (i.e., snowshoes, ice skates) and/or require admission fees. Most importantly, we need funds to cover transportation costs.  For each outing, we need to rent a bus (and a driver with a bus license) to transport the girls. This has turned out to be a significant expense.  REACH does not receive financial support from our school or any other institutions and is funded 100% through donations right now.

Because we believe so much in the value of REACH, want it to continue for years to come, and recognize that our fundraising efforts might be more successful if contributions are tax deductible, REACH (thanks to an attorney offering his services for free) has been formed as a nonprofit corporation (Reaching Environmental Awareness and Cultural Harmony, Inc.) in the state of Ohio.  On January 30, 2017, we received confirmation from the Internal Revenue Service that REACH is approved as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity. Accordingly, any contribution that you make is tax-deductible. If you prefer to make a contribution by check, please make the check out to “Reaching Environmental Awareness and Cultural Harmony, Inc.” and send the check to:

REACH

c/o Grace McCarthy 
22226 Parnell Road
Shaker Heights, OH 44122

We will issue an acknowledgment of your donation that you can use in preparing your yearly tax return.

Any amount of money donated means so much because it will enable us, through REACH, to spread our love of nature, our passion for environmental science, and help foster true relationships across cultural lines amongst Cleveland middle school girls. 

Thank you so much!
Grace & Carolyn