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Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC) makes the joy and challenge of outdoor adventures accessible to people with disabilities and under-resourced youth, inspiring self-confidence, connection to nature, and stewardship of the environment

UpReach Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to inspiring hope, fostering independence, and improving the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of individuals with and without disabilities by partnering with the power of the horse.

Too often grocery stores and restaurants find themselves throwing out food, when there is great need in nearby communities. MEANS Database modernizes food recovery in 48 states and the District of Columbia by connecting excess food to organizations and individuals who need it. Hunger lingers in the lives of the people it affects. In infants and toddlers, food insecurity is associated with failure to thrive, a devastating condition with consequences into adulthood (1). In early childhood, hunger is associated with diminished academic progress, more behavioral problems and unhealthy weight (2). By high school, it's linked with dropping out, and by early adulthood, with having children who also face hunger, the cycle starts over again (3). Food insecurity exists in every American demographic and geography, affecting every population tracked by the US Census. However, as it seems for every other social ill, the most rural, the most urban, and minorities in any location bear a disproportionate burden of the weight of hunger. While 12.7% of American families are food insecure, the rate for Black and Latino families are each about 20% (4). Jefferson County, Mississippi, is a study in these disparities: it has the highest percentage of black residents of any American county, and also holds the dubious distinction of having the highest rate of food insecurity in the United States, with nearly 38% of residents facing hunger (5). Meanwhile, while more than 42 million Americans rely on food pantries, soup kitchens and other emergency food providers to feed their families, the United States grapples with an massive food waste problem. Forty percent of the American food supply ends up in landfills, with perfectly edible meals being thrown away at all stages of production (7). Food is the single largest contributor to landfill and incinerator mass in the United States, choking the nation's air while 1 in 8 Americans face food insecurity (8). Further complicating this feast and famine dynamic is the uncomfortable truth that even programs meant to address hunger frequently end up wasting food. The issue we are tackling with MEANS is huge: we're trying to prevent food waste and adequately address the problem of hunger. The USDA reports that 48.1 million Americans live in food-insecure households, while Feeding America says that 70 billion pounds of food are wasted in the US each year (8). This task may seem daunting, but we know that through the use of innovative technology like ours, we can help to change the future of food recovery. MEANS (Matching Excess And Need for Stability) is an online communications platform for emergency food providers and their donors. On a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone, agencies create an account with MEANS, registering their contact information, location, the kind(s) of foods they are searching for, and the distance they are willing or able to travel to pick up those goods. Donors post their excess goods on MEANS, and the system emails and/or texts organizations nearby that need those goods. Our tool substantially reduces the communications gap between emergency food providers and their donors, preventing "donation dumping" on both sides. MEANS was designed to handle both traditional food donations, from grocery stores or caterers, and donations between emergency food providers. There is no charge for any of our organization's services, for nonprofit agencies or retailers. Citations: 1) Kersten, Hans B. and Bennett, David (2012) "A Multidisciplinary Team Experience with Food Insecurity & Failure to Thrive," Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 6. 2) Jyoti, Diana F.; Frongillo, Edward A.; and Jones, Sonya J. (2005) "Food Insecurity Affects School Children's Academic Performance, Weight Gain, and Social Skills" The Journal of Nutrition vol. 135 no. 12 2831-2839. 3)"Changing the Picture of Education in America: Communities in Schools Spring 2014 Impact Report" (2014) 4) USDA (2015). "Food Security Status of U.S. Households in 2015" 5) Feeding America (2016). "Map the Meal Gap 2016" 7) Gunders, Dana (2012). "Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill" 8) Feeding America (ND), "Food Waste In America"

Special Olympics Ontario provides athletes with an intellectual disability the opportunity to experience and succeed in sport. Special Olympics' athletes gain self-confidence and transfer the success from the playing field to become more active citizens in society.

Exposure to nature decreases anxiety, depression, and negative rumination; while at the same time increasing well being, and creative thinking. People with disabilities usually don't have the same access to nature and environmental education as the general public. The Lewisboro Land Trust Access Nature Program, reaches out to people with disabilities to enable them to experience the benefits of nature. We design each program to fit the needs of the individual group, sometimes using educational naturalists or nature programs. The goal of Access Nature Programs is to provide a comfortable. safe, enjoyable experience of nature while educating on the benefits gained. The ultimate goal is self reliance, having gained the knowledge and confidence to enjoy nature on their own.

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation connects Americans with their wilderness heritage by providing access to and stewardship of one of the world's most spectacular places -Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, the crown jewel of the Wilderness System. We help hundreds of hard-working volunteers, including youth, develop a land ethic and give back to the wilderness by opening trails, restoring heavily used areas, maintaining historic structures and fighting weeds. Active wilderness stewardship is our mission. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation: Provides its hard-working volunteers with a unique back country experience Works cooperatively with the US Forest Service to engage youth groups, individual volunteers and other organizations. Opens and clears trails enjoyed by thousands of wilderness users year-round Ensures that future generations will continue to have safe access to The Bob Is a non-profit, tax deductible 501(c)3 organization dependent on donations

Founded in 1976, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) engages youth and adult community members as leaders in promoting safe, secure jobs and healthy communities throughout eastern Massachusetts. Through education, leadership development and coalition-building, youth and adults gain the skills and support to address dangerous work conditions and prevent work-related diseases and disabilities. MassCOSH has a special focus on immigrants and other lower-income adults, and young people of color who often work in jobs that are the most unsafe and unhealthy.

It is the mission of Glastonbury Partners in Planting, Inc. to establish planting areas in historically significant or highly visible sites within the Town of Glastonbury; to provide educational opportunities for members of the community to learn about the care of plants and promote an understanding of the value of biodiversity among flora; to re-establish the American Elm in the Town. Glastonbury Partners in Planting, Inc. (GPIP) is a 501.3(c) non-profit organization. We are made up of Glastonbury residents working to make our town a more beautiful place to live. GPIP also wants to enhance the sense of community among the citizens of the Town by celebrating its past, beautifying the present, and planting for the future and to raise and provide funds and labor to accomplish these goals. Part of GPIP’s ongoing mission includes educational outreach. GPIP presents educational programming twice a year at its fall and spring member meetings, partners with the Glastonbury public schools to create classroom and field programs and holds periodic educational programs for residents of all ages.

The Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization #20-1702191 is dedicated to honoring the life of our inspiration, Jimmy Miller, by supporting the healing of mental and physical illness through surfing and ocean related activities. Through recreational, education, and mentoring programs, the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation enables surfers, educators, therapists, lifeguards and friends to help people affected by mental and physical illness feel the joy and healing power of the ocean and surfing. JMMF pioneered the formation of an adaptive surfing program titled Ocean Therapy, where surfing is used as a means to increase self-esteem and self-efficacy in individuals suffering from mental and/or physical illness. The Ocean Therapy program is currently working with at risk children in the Los Angeles foster care community, veterans from all branches of the military and injured Marines in the Wounded Warrior Battalion in Camp Pendleton. We are looking to expand our programming to the addiction/recovery populations, victims and survivors of mass public and terrorist attacks, those suffering from suicidal ideation and anxiety, depression and other mental health illnesses.

Charity Centre for Children and Youth Development exists to supporting HIV/AIDS education, Persons living with disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children, youth and women in Solwezi district of Zambia by providing them with, educational support (provision of school requisites and literacy materials), health and life skills and vocational Training. These enables disadvantaged members of our society live life of independence and contribute to the national economy. We envision a society that will work towards eradication of vulnerability and illiteracy among Orphans and vulnerable children, youths and women. The Organization's mission is to promote and enhance the capabilities of children, youth and women in Solwezi district and beyond to effect positive social change that would necessitate the development of their lives, communities and the nation at large.

The CPFQ Child Sponsorship Program is designed to build bridges between the Canadian community and Palestinian children living under occupation or in refugee camps. Children enrolled in our program live under conditions of extreme poverty and unemployment. Many of them live in densely populated refugee camps. A suitable infrastructure is absent, seriously threatening the physical and mental health of residents. Many children suffer from serious health problems and disabilities. Due to financial hardship, many have to leave school at a very young age to help support their families. The severe restrictions on employment and movement make the future of these children very bleak. In addition to providing much needed financial assistance, the program helps maintain stable and rewarding relationships between each child and their sponsor. This simple message of hope can offset some of the effects of the chaotic and insecure conditions in which they live.

The Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology for the Environment (CREATE!) was established in 2008 to help rural populations in the developing world prepare for water, food, and fuel shortages resulting from the impact of climate change on their communities. CREATE! operates on the principle that all people have a right to water, food, shelter, energy, and the means to earn a living. We work with village populations to meet these needs through a culturally respectful, participatory process grounded in our belief that people must have a stake in their development and contribute towards solving their own problems. The cooperative groups in our beneficiary villages have already demonstrated the validity of this approach. CREATE! currently operates in Senegal. Senegal is representative of many Sub-Saharan African countries that are hardest hit by the increasingly disastrous effects of global climate change. CREATE! responds to the inter-connected crises generated by climate change with strategies that decrease dependence on fossil fuels, conserve natural resources, and increase the use of appropriate technologies. Our programs produce sustainable, human needs-based development at the village level while forging resilient and vibrant communities across rural Senegal. CREATE! seeks to face these challenges and assist rural Senegalese residents with small-scale, accessible, and "appropriate" technologies - technologies that are adapted to, and fit, their local conditions - and with human needs-based strategies that can both better their lives and build their capacity to meet these inter-connected challenges. CREATE! works in six villages in two regions of Senegal. One region is in the rural north of Senegal, centered around Linguere in the Louga Region, where CREATE! implements programs in the village of Ouarkhokh. The other region is in the central-west of Senegal, centered around Gossas in the Fatick Region. CREATE! implements program activities in five villages in this region. The total beneficiary population of the six villages is approximately 12,000 people, comprised of both agricultural and pastoral peoples. The average per capita annual income of the population in these villages is approximately $350 a year. In each of these villages, CREATE! staff work closely with local and traditional authorities, including village chiefs and imams, in addition to other community leaders, families, and public schools. CREATE! values the expertise and input of community members and strives to incorporate their knowledge and participation into each stage of our programs. As a registered NGO in Senegal, CREATE! works with government officials from the regional office of the Department of Water and Forestry. CREATE! also respects the Senegalese government's strategic development goals for rural communities. Although CREATE!'s administrative office is located in the United States, CREATE! relies on local Senegalese staff and volunteers to plan and implement successful development interventions. Barry Wheeler, CREATE! Founder and Executive Director, has spent the past 27 years working to alleviate suffering and to provide basic human needs for rural villagers, displaced persons, and refugees in several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. After serving in the Peace Corps for six years as an Improved Cook Stove and Appropriate Technology volunteer, trainer, and technical advisor in Togo, Barry earned a Master's degree in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University. Barry has served as Country Director for the American Refugee Committee's programs in Uganda, Sudan, and Rwanda; as a consultant for UNICEF and UNHCR; and as a team leader and training coordinator in local capacity building, renewable and appropriate technology, and sustainable rural development. CREATE! Chief Operations Officer Louise Ruhr has more than 30 years of private sector and nonprofit management experience and has spent the past eight years working with international NGOs, including the American Refugee Committee, to support women's cooperative groups in Rwanda and Senegal. CREATE! Country Director Omar Ndiaye Seck oversees program activities and conducts site visits in CREATE! communities. He also manages CREATE!'s finances and staff in Senegal. Omar closely collaborates with local and traditional authorities, community volunteers, and CREATE! staff to achieve both organizational and village goals.