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A Letter from Shelley

Hello from Providence! It’s oddly warm here--the weather hit almost 65 degrees this weekend, which supports the prediction of a mild El Nino winter.

Our biggest news from the past year is that we received high marks during the AEE re-accreditation visit! The accreditation process involved a “top-to-bottom” self-study followed by a site visit from two past presidents of AEE. Ryan Heath ’05 served as our accreditation consultant last year by leading the self-study and creating a binder of everything BOLT to present to AEE. It was comparable to a doctoral thesis! (Thank you, Ryan!)

By participating in this process, we compare ourselves to what is considered a benchmark of best practice in the field. As a result, we actively keep our safety systems current and our leaders receive a “top-notch” training program. The updated training calendar, forms and even the handbook are all available on our website under the leader pages.

The Steering Committee worked hard to improve upon the trainings for the incoming class. Training was outstanding! I was so impressed by the collaborative efforts of past leaders. The updates also included a Wilderness First Responder course--one leader per route must be either WFR or W-EMT certified by new industry standards. This is an extra 60 hours of training above Wilderness First Aid which really contributed to the confidence and skills of our leaders.

One of the hot topics for Steering Committee this past fall was fundraising. The budget was a topic at our Fall Steering Committee retreat. Learning more about BOLT finances and how alumni support is what really keeps us going was eye-opening for many. From this lively discussion, the fundraising task force was re-established. An open-mic night was held in December along with a silent auction. They raised $360! In addition to this they are trying their hand at grant writing, exploring a way to do an on-campus gift drive, and were approved for expanding the phone-a-thon to two days. Additionally, we will continue to sell BOLT stickers, nalgenes and possibly hats this spring. We may even host a Mountainfilm event.

Our endowment has reached $154,000. We are making great strides. Thank you so much! This will yield about $7,000 toward our FY08 costs, which still leaves us with $6,000 to raise in order to replace worn or broken gear and to provide financial assistance to both participants and leaders. (Participant costs remain at $350 for the trip and leaders contribute $370 toward the costs of the CPR and WFR certifications.)

As you know, our budget relies on our ability to raise money annually through alumni donations. We truly appreciate the continued support of our alums!
Without you, BOLT could not survive. Thank you for supporting our ability to provide the BOLT experience to each new generation. It is amazing to know that at commencement this year, we reach past the 500 mark for BOLT leaders out in the world. I love it!

On a last note, please mark you calendars for Reunion weekend for May 2008 when we celebrate the 20th Birthday for BOLT!

~ Shelley

P.S. Please send us Alumni updates. We love to hear from you.

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