A letter to parents, volunteers and interested parties

December 11, 2016

For 14 years Youth Outdoor Day (YOD) has been the premier youth outdoor event in the state of Oregon. Over the years close to 10,000 kids have enjoyed the event, encouraged by over 2,500 volunteers, and graciously hosted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at E. E. Wilson wildlife refuge.

This year’s event is scheduled for June 10th and at that time E.E. Wilson will be undergoing major improvements that will require us to make some adjustments. Since we will not be able to use the main office/shop and barn areas during the event, we need to scale back the number of participants from our usual 750 kids down to 450 kids. Please understand that we feel it is best to keep the event going and making this change will insure the YOD tradition will continue.

On top of the need to scale back the attendance, we are in need of a little more help to help make sure the event continues.

In the weeks prior to the event the refuge is in need of people who can run a small farm tractor/mower to assist in preparing the refuge.

In addition, the YOD organizational committee is in need of a few more people who can help organize the event in the weeks and months leading up to the event.

Please understand the YOD committee is small and we do most of the work by emails and phone calls so we are not asking you to give up your day job. We just need a few more people involved to make sure the tradition continues. We are also not expecting anyone to reinvent the wheel. Most of the YOD committee has been involved with the event for many years so guidance and support will only be a call or email away should you need it.

Here are the ways you can help:

  • Attend our planning meeting January 17, 2017 at 7 pm at Lancaster Village 4138 Market St. NE Salem Oregon.
  • Decide which of these committee positions is of interest to you:
    • Assistant committee chair
    • Sponsor liaison/grant writer
    • Participating organization coordinator
    • E.E. Wilson coordinator
  • Contact us at info@youthoutdoorday.org to answer any questions you have.

As any of the YOD committee can tell you, nothing is more rewarding than to see it all come together on the day of the event. When you see the joy, the excitement, the smiles and see how many children’s lives we have impacted, it makes it all worthwhile.

Youth day has a tremendously positive impact on the lives of youth and on the future of outdoor sports in Oregon. Please take a moment to think about the enjoyment all previous attendees have had at Youth Day and then take the first step to become part of the YOD team by contacting us. We look forward to answering any questions you have and discussing the ways you can help make this the best Youth Day to date.

Steve Sessa, Donna Shultz, Sam Dufner and Eric Mousel
Youth Outdoor Day Committee