http://www.blueskyfund.org/, http://www.twitter.com/BlueSkyFundRVa

Blue Sky Fund, 1806 Creighton Road, Richmond, VA (2026)

07/27/2026

☀️ We’re having a fun and busy summer over at Blue Sky!
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Our Outdoor Leadership Institute (OLI) and Outdoor Adventure Clubs (OAC) are in full swing, getting kids out into nature.
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🛶 OLI ALUMNI CANOE CAMPING: 1 trip in June - complete!
A 63 mile trip where any previous OLI participant who is still in high school can sign up to canoe camp on the James River. This year there were 9 participants, some of which were completing canoe camping with Blue Sky for the fourth time!
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🥾 OLI MT ROGERS BACKPACKING: 3 trips between July and August - in progress!
A 22 mile backpacking trip through Grayson Highlands including summiting VA’s highest peak, Mt Rogers. Each trip will welcome ~8 new participants into the OLI program who have a variety of experience levels with backpacking.
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🌳 OUTDOOR ADVENTURE CLUBs (OACs) - 35+ outings in July and August - in progress! Summer outings take OAC participants to a variety of local green spaces across the Richmond area this summer, including rock hopping at the 42nd Street Entrance of the James, meeting animals at Maymont, and setting up hammocks in Bryan Park.
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🗣️ Shout out to our OAC partners:
*Anna Julia Cooper School
*Henrico Education Foundation Community Learning Centers
*Peter Paul Development Center
*Richmond Public Schools
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💫 And thank you to all of the incredible BSF staff supporting these programs, including Sydney, Andy, David, Noah, Abby, Sydnei, Kenzie, Annie, and Abigail!
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07/24/2026

WE ARE HIRING! 📣 Blue Sky Fund is looking for a Development & Volunteer Manager to join our full-time team! 🌲💻
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A successful candidate will be motivated to provide thorough, timely, and professional back-end support to BSF’s development systems while staying connected to our mission through volunteer and event management. 💙
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Key Responsibilities:
🔹 Responsible for achieving revenue goals for event fundraising & corporate giving
🔹Maintain accurate donor records and produce timely donor acknowledgements
🔹Create external communications to share the impact of our work through print and digital channels
🔹Manage all aspects of the volunteer experience: recruitment, training, retention, and development
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Qualifications & Experience:
▫️ Minimum of two years of prior work experience in fundraising, administration, event planning, communications, and/or volunteer management
▫️ Strong attention to detail, organization, and project management skills
▫️ Experience with Microsoft Office Suite & Google Suite
▫️ Familiarity with Salesforce, Canva, and MailChimp is a plus!
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The Details:
🔹 Full-time, exempt position (40 hours/week)
🔹 Salary range: $48,000–$60,000/year
🔹 Located in Richmond, VA (with hybrid schedule opportunity after 3 months)
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Priority will be given to applications received by Monday, August 10th! 🗓️
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👉 Ready to apply? Visit blueskyfund.org/get-involved/employment to fill out an online application.
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Questions? Reach out to Diane Brown, Development & Communications Director, at [email protected]
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07/24/2026

🌷 With summer in full swing, we here at Blue Sky are still a bit nostalgic for spring! We wanted to highlight one of our favorite parts of the spring session of our Outdoor Adventure Clubs - Overnight Trips!
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🚲 But first, what are OACs? They are weekly out-of-school time programs with ~175 participants from 4th-12th grade. Participants develop confidence and resilience through mastering new outdoor skills like biking, rock climbing, nature walking, and more.
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🏕️ After weeks of learning outdoor skills, both staff and participants are always so excited for the OAC overnight camping trips. They get to put all of the skills they’ve learned throughout the year into practice, all around a campfire under a starry sky.
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These experiences provide a lot of firsts for participants: first time going camping, visiting a Virginia state park, or having a s’more. Overnight camping trips also give time for so many more fun activities, including:
🔥 Using fire color-changing packets
🏞️ Meeting park rangers
🥾 Exploring hiking trails
🦌 Seeing local wildlife
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So far this year, we have run six overnight trips to four Virginia State Parks:
🌳 Westmoreland State Park
🌳 Pocahontas State Park
🌳 Lake Anna State Park
🌳 Powhatan State Park
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🗣️ A massive shout-out to all of our OAC Instructors and VA State Park partners for helping our participants have unforgettable camping experiences this year!
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07/03/2026

As of 7/7/2026, our Adventure Programs Instructor position are filled. 🌟We’re hiring for Explorer Educators. 🌟
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Are you passionate about quality education, positive youth development & equitable access to the outdoors? Apply to become an outdoor educator with Blue Sky Fund today!
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As we prepare for the 2026-27 school year, we’re looking for part-time Explorers Educators. Click the 🔗 in our bio to apply today!
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✨EXPLORERS:
Experiential field trip explorations for 3rd-5th graders to green spaces across Richmond that include scientific investigation, team building, and mindfulness activities.
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🗓 Schedule: Late Aug. - April; Typically 9AM–1:30PM, Tuesday - Friday
🕰 Hours: PT, 18 hours a week
💰 Pay: $18/hr
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06/30/2026

As our fiscal year draws to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on a program year of “firsts” for many participants:
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🦌 The excitement of Paris, a 3rd grader, exclaiming “This is my first time seeing a deer!” when encountering a doe and her fawn on a hike around Belle Isle with Explorers.
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🔥 The genuine curiosity of Jelani, a middle schooler, asking “What is a s’more?” when learning how to build campfires with our Outdoor Adventure Clubs.
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⛰️ The confidence and pride of Kiza, a high schooler who shared “When I made it to the summit [of Mt. Rogers], I felt so complete” after her first backpacking trip.
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Will you help us provide more ‘firsts’ in nature by donating before June 30th?
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Your gift helps us create experiences that foster an appreciation for nature and a feeling of belonging in the outdoors. Since last July:
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🌱 EXPLORERS completed 150 hands-on science investigations getting over 1,950 3rd to 5th grade students learning in nature for an average 9 to 12 hours throughout the year.
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🦋 OUTDOOR ADVENTURE CLUBS saw a successful summer session with 40 outings for over 150 participants, and after-school programming with over 300 outings for 180 kids
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🏕️ OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE high school participants backpacked 22 miles, volunteered a total of 170 hours in our community, and are preparing for a 63 mile canoe-camping trip
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In total, our programs provided over 2,280 Richmond area youth the opportunity to step outside their comfort zones and discover that nature is a place where they belong.
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Please help us continue this impact by supporting us at blueskyfund.org/donate
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06/25/2026

Our June Blue Sky Broadcast just dropped! This month it features our annual Golden GORPs Year End Banquet where we gathered together and celebrated our Blue Sky community!
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We gave out several “Golden GORP” awards acknowledging those who have gone above & beyond this school year. We highlighted & heard reflections from each of our incredible teachers of the year, volunteer of the year, & OLI participants.
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Thank you to everyone who joined us & again a huge congrats to our Golden GORP Awardees!
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🌟2026 Teachers of the Year🌟
Kaia Hadnott - Westover Hills ES
Jennifer Hacker - Bellevue ES
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🌟2026 Volunteer of the Year🌟
Emerson Underwood
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🌟2026 Senior Spotlight🌟
Kora Bozkurt
Gabrielle Feliciano
Trey Merill
Lily Newmark
Newton Peacemaker
Anna Roberts
Wyatt Tuting
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To read more about the event, check out the Blue Sky Broadcast link in bio.
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To see more photos from the event, check out the Google Photo Album link in our bio.
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05/26/2026

🌱 Since 2007, Blue Sky Fund has pursued the goal of providing transformative and positive experiences in the outdoors for Richmond youth.
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🗺️ As demand for programming grew, so did Blue Sky - expanding to work with over 2,000 students across the Richmond area. As we enter a new stage of organizational maturity, the Blue Sky board and staff are excited at the prospects of meaningful growth and organizational health.
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🧭 To achieve this next stage, we’re proud to announce our 2026-2029 Strategic Plan which was adopted by our board this past January. The purpose of this mission-aligned plan is to:
(1) Provide guidance on the organization’s growth and development for the next three years
(2) Articulate a shared vision that will further Blue Sky’s mission
(3) Ensure engagement with all those invested in the organization’s success
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🔗 Read the full plan via the link in our bio or go to blueskyfund.org/strategicplan
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🎨 Shout out to Madison Whitley for donating her time and talent to tell the story of our vision for the next three years in such a visually appealing way! Learn more about her work at madisonwhitley.myportfolio.com

05/22/2026

As our 2025-26 Explorers program year comes to a close, we’re excited to reflect back on the final trips of the year. Today: Featuring our Maymont & Dell Meadow trips!
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“How does water connect everything in our environment?”
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This was the driving question for our Explorers trip to Maymont and Dell Meadow with 4th grade students from 12 different RPS schools. Through hands-on activities, they learned all about how their everyday choices can impact the Chesapeake Bay, and diving into how watersheds, erosion, weather, and wildlife are all connected.
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Take a look at all the fun our Explorers had outdoors:
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🌦️ Collected real weather data, working in teams to measure wind speed, temperature, and air pressure while practicing cooperation and problem-solving.
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💧 Modeled an entire watershed using Enviroscapes, discovering how pollution, erosion, and stormwater runoff have downstream impacts. Throughout the Environment experiments, they also discussed why we all play a role in protecting our rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.
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🦅 Observed local wildlife on a guided nature hike, learning about native animals and discussing each species’ role in the food chain and ecosystem.
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Thank you to all of our amazing 4th graders from:
.rps

Are you a business looking for a way to support your community? No need to wait - email diane@blueskyfund.org to become ...

05/15/2026

Are you a business looking for a way to support your community? No need to wait - email [email protected] to become a Hike for Kids sponsor!
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SPONSORSHIP LEVELS
FULL ⛰️Trailblazer Title Sponsor - abogadas rva
FULL 🏞️ Post-Hike Party Sponsor -
👣Explorers Partner Sponsor - $6,000 - Hike Distances Naming Rights
🚰Adventure Fuel Sponsor - $3,000 - Logos featured at Fuel Stations
🌱Swag Bag Sponsor - $1,000 - Logos featured at Finish Line
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Date 🗓️Saturday, October 24th
Location: 📍VA War Memorial () & the James River Park System ()
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🌿🥾HIKE FOR KIDS is our signature fundraising event benefiting Richmond area youth. It brings together hikers to hit the trails of the James River Park System or any trail of their choice across the country. Richmond hikers will enjoy some of the best urban trails in the country with a 3, 7, or 14 mile loop. All are welcome to celebrate the journey at our post-hike party with food, drinks, games, & music.
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05/13/2026

💫 Since September 2025, our Outdoor Adventure Clubs have completed over 280 after-school outings! Where have they gone and what have they done!? Here is a fun recap:
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🌳 Most Visited Green Spaces | Forest Hill Park, Byrd Park, Bryan Park, Taylor Farm Park, and 22nd Street Entrance
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🥾 Top 10 Activities | Flora/fauna identification hike, Fire building, Hammocking, Camp stove cooking, Biking, Rock hopping, Tent set up, Fishing, Teambuilding games, and Arts & crafts
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💙 Do you have a favorite activity or green space from the list above?
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Blue Sky Fund

07/27/2026

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