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Today, in a special ceremony at the Troy REI store, before the store opened for daily business and with all the employees in attendance, Gary Scramling the President of MiGO accepted a $5000 check made out to the Michigan Geocaching Organization for a Grant from the 'REI Gives' program. Unbeknownst to MiGO, we had been nominated by a store employee for the volunteer work by Tom LePage (Cyclops) and a few others working with REI over the past couple of years. REI's corporate offices then asked all the non-profit groups that had been nominated to write a proposal and apply for this grant last October. In early January we were notified that MiGO had been chosen to receive the Michigan Grant.
Left to right: MiGO Compliance Officer Donna Scramling, REI store manager James Kimball, Clinton River Watershed Council President Dan Keifer and MiGO President Gary Scramling. |
REI dedicates a portion of its operating profits to help protect and restore the environment, increase access to outdoor activities, and encourage involvement in responsible outdoor recreation. REI employees nominate organizations such as MiGO for projects and programs in which they are personally involved, to receive funding or gear donations. During 2006, REI granted $4 million to more than 430 non profit community partners.
MiGO's leadership put together a grant proposal for the money to be spent on various projects throughout the year. Much of these funds will be spent on tools and equipment, such as trash litter pickup tools for the MiGO chapters, and the new MiGO lending library, complete with GPS units, books, videos and classroom handouts. Other projects are in the works and will be announced as we put them together.
REI will be opening a new Michigan store in Ann Arbor this spring; they currently have a store in Northville and one in Troy, with over 80 around the US.