It Takes a Village
The People Who Help Make Sierra Nevada Journeys Possible
When a child comes home from camp with muddy shoes, a new friend’s name, and a story they cannot wait to tell, that moment may look simple from the outside:
a camper tried something new
a student asked a better question
a class explored science outdoors
a girl saw herself as someone who belongs in STEM
Those moments do not happen because of one person, one program, or one day at Camp.
They happen because a whole community chooses to show up.
At Sierra Nevada Journeys, we believe outdoor science education changes the way students see themselves and the world around them. It helps young people build curiosity, confidence, and connections to nature through hands-on learning experiences that stay with them long after the program ends.
This work takes educators, families, schools, volunteers, donors, sponsors, business partners, board members, and community champions. It takes people who give their time, resources, ideas, and belief in what is possible for kids.
It takes a village.
Leadership That Helps Guide the Way
Behind every Sierra Nevada Journeys program is a group of leaders who help strengthen the organization, guide big decisions, and keep the mission moving forward.
Our Board of Trustees and Advisory Board bring experience from education, business, health care, finance, conservation, public service, law, and community leadership. Their work may not always be visible during a day at camp or a classroom program, but it shapes the future of Sierra Nevada Journeys in meaningful ways.
Our Board of Trustees guides our organization with vision, dedication, and a deep commitment to ensuring more young people have access to outdoor science education. Their thoughtful leadership, strategic insight, and passion for our mission have helped strengthen Sierra Nevada Journeys and support the communities we serve.
We are also grateful for the many board and advisory leaders who give their time and expertise to Sierra Nevada Journeys. Their service helps us plan responsibly, build trust, reach new communities, and think about what outdoor learning can look like for future generations.
That leadership allows us to:
expand programs
welcome new students
plan for Camp’s future
ask how more children can experience science outdoors in ways that feel joyful, welcoming, and real
Donors Turn Belief Into Action
Donors and sponsors help bring the mission to life. Their gifts support programs like:
Classrooms Unleashed
Family STEM Nights
Girls in STEM Camp
Overnight Outdoor Learning
Day Camp
Overnight Summer Camp
Grown-Up Getaway Camp
Donor gifts also:
help students access programs regardless of financial barriers
bring hands-on science directly into classrooms
support family learning nights where parents, caregivers, and children explore STEM together
create camp experiences where kids can climb, hike, build, test, observe, wonder, and grow
Every gift has a ripple effect.
Support from organizations like the Ozmen Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada helps make Girls in STEM Camp possible for students who benefit from hands-on science, mentorship, and outdoor learning.
Partnerships with organizations such as Renown Health, DOWL, NV Energy, Sacramento Area Sewer District, Microsoft Reno, SCHEELS, KSI Foundation, Aristocrat Gaming, Sierra Pacific Federal Credit Union and others help students access learning experiences that build confidence and curiosity.
These partners help students learn by doing.
They help students see that science is not limited to a textbook: it can be found in a pond sample, on a forest trail, during a family STEM activity, in a day camp experiment, or in a question asked under the trees.
A Community That Makes Camp More Joyful
Grown-Up Getaway Camp is another beautiful example of community in action.
This adults-only camp weekend began as a fun way to reconnect grown-ups with the joy of camp. It has grown into a meaningful fundraiser for Sierra Nevada Journeys, creating another way for adults, local businesses, and community partners to support outdoor science education for students.
The weekend is filled with the good kind of camp energy: meals shared in community, Paint n’ Sip, karaoke, live music, poolside fun, outdoor activities, and time to slow down under the pines.
That experience is made possible by generous sponsors, vendors, raffle donors, and local businesses who contribute in creative ways:
providing meals
supporting activities like Paint n’ Sip, karaoke, or the poolside DJ
donating raffle items, gift cards, beverages, food, and packages that make the weekend even more fun for campers
Thank you to the businesses and individuals who are helping make Grown-Up Getaway Camp a joyful fundraiser and a meaningful way to support students. Your generosity adds to the fun of the weekend while helping Sierra Nevada Journeys continue delivering outdoor science education to kids across our region.
The Village Shows Up in Many Ways
Support does not always look the same. Sometimes it is:
a board member lending strategic guidance
a business sponsoring an activity
a donor helping a student attend camp
a teacher choosing outdoor learning for their class
a volunteer who gives their time to help students feel welcomea parent trusting us with their child’s summer experience
All of it matters.
When students step into Sierra Nevada Journeys programs, they are entering something built by many hands.
They are met by educators who care deeply about learning.
They are supported by donors who believe access matters.
They are guided by board members who help protect and grow the mission.
They are surrounded by a community that believes kids deserve time in nature, meaningful science education, and experiences that help them discover what they are capable of.
Thank You for Being Part of the Village
To our Board of Trustees and Advisory Board, thank you for guiding this work with care.
To our donors and sponsors, thank you for making these programs possible.
To our raffle donors, vendors, business partners, volunteers, teachers, families, and community champions, thank you for showing up in ways big and small.
Your support helps create the moments students remember their first:
time they climbed higher than they thought they could
testing water from a pond
question they asked that leads to another question
realization that science is something they can see, touch, explore, and understand
That is the power of this village.
Thank you for being part of Sierra Nevada Journeys.
Every Action Makes a Difference: A Donor’s Vision for Girls in STEM and a Sustainable Future
The first thing Cybele Chang, Executive Director of KSI Foundation, did when she arrived was take in the view.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, looking out over the wide green meadow at Sierra Nevada Journeys Outdoor Education Camp. “I am a huge outdoor person. I mean, what is there not to love up here? It’s gorgeous.” The valley, she added with a laugh, felt like “something out of the movies.”
It was a fitting place for reflection, on science, on the future, and on the girls running through camp who might one day shape both.
Today, KSI has a clear purpose. “Our mission is to give to organizations that help educate low-income girls in the areas of STEM and entrepreneurship,” said Cybele.
Finding Sierra Nevada Journeys and its Girls in STEM Camp came from intention. “A lot of research, actually,” she explained. “We have an idea of what we want to give to and after doing some research, I found Sierra Nevada Journeys. It was good timing and a good fit.”
The fit became obvious. “The STEM, Girls in STEM Camp is specifically for Title I, low-income girls in the field of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).” Just as important was timing. “We believe that you need to capture their attention when they’re young, but not too young.” For her foundation, that meant focusing on girls ages 9 through 14.
She leaned forward, emphasizing the point. “By the time you’re in high school, most teenagers have already made up their minds, so we’re really focusing on that age. That’s important to us.”
Out on the trails and in the open air, those girls were learning more than facts and formulas. They were forming relationships with science, with each other, and with the earth beneath their feet.
“I think it would be great if they went and became a scientist in some way,” Cybele said. Then she paused, softening the expectation. “But that isn’t necessarily practical.” What mattered more was something more meaningful: “that the girls come away with a deeper connection with the earth and to understand that we are all stewards of the earth.”
Her words carried both hope and urgency. “Every action that they make — recycling, walking instead of driving, putting solar on their house — those steps are important for the existence of the human race on this planet.”
That conviction wasn’t abstract. It was personal.
“My father was actually a computer science professor in electrical engineering,” she explained. “He had two daughters He didn’t advocate for us to go into the sciences, but both my sister and I exceled in the sciences.” She chuckled. “So we’re poster children for girls in STEM.”
Cybele herself studied environmental science at UC Berkeley. Her sister, she added with admiration, “got a master’s in math, which to me is astounding; that’s a lot of math.”
Those life experiences shaped not only what she believes, but what she wants others to understand.
“I just hope that the future generation really does take to heart that we play a role in the future,” she said, her voice growing steadier and more insistent. She illustrated that idea with a vivid example where a plastic bag drifting into the ocean, mistaken for a jellyfish and eaten by a turtle. She added, “We are part of all of that ecosystem, and every action we take can make a difference.”
The message she hopes the girls carry home is simple, but immense. “We are not here to just consume and do whatever we want. If you want the human race to continue in perpetuity, then you need to take action and live a more sustainable life.”
Back outside, the meadow stretched on under the summer sun, quiet and alive at the same time. Somewhere nearby, a group of girls was laughing, discovering something new about the world, or maybe about themselves.
Cybele watched the landscape for a moment, then smiled in the direction of the campers, “They’re what’s really important to me — the girls.”