Homage To Our Friends at KEEN Footwear

Since 2005, KEEN Footwear has played an integral role in the Center’s work to build a constellation of American communities dedicated teaching and spreading Leave No Trace. It all began with a KEEN-funded partnership that flooded Leave No Trace’s State Advocate program (the organization’s regional grassroots activists) with support, training, scholarships and educational tools. This did the quick work of solidifying a network of steadfast volunteers around the country.

The people of the Hybird.Care Program at KEEN Footwear did what few funders understand — they supported infrastructure to get these programs off the ground. They asked what it would take to build a mission-driven community from the ground up and recognized that what we proposed would take time to develop. As a result, KEEN-funded programs have impacted hundreds of thousands of people and have helped spread Leave No Trace to communities around the country.

After six years of funding, we are at a critical turning point. With a half-year dedicated to listening to Leave No Trace constituents and key stakeholders about Leave No Trace’s strategic direction, we are carrying all of the work that KEEN Footwear supplied into the next phase of Leave No Trace work. The Leave No Trace identified three critical issues that Leave No Trace should dedicate its future to — Again and again, we heard “focus locally and engage kids, close-to-home.

Thanks to KEEN Hybrid.Care, we’re ready. Because of years of generous support from KEEN, we are wholly poised to step up to this next phase. Check out Keen Footwear at: http://www.keenfootwear.com/default.aspx