Using The Past To Prepare For The Future!
Donation protected
ABOUT THE 1804 Club:
My name is Charles Lamica. I own and operate Boulder Creek Saddle Shop in Kettle Falls, Washington. One of my passions is teaching traditional skills to kids. As a result, I created a youth group called the 1804 Club. This program is for kids 11 through 18 who have an interest in outdoors, camping, primitive skills, and traditional handcrafts. We call it the "1804 Club" because we study the skills, practices, and history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which began its journey in 1804.
The kids in this program learn a variety of skills that were common to the pioneers and explorers of the early 19th Century. Canoeing, primitive camping, Dutch oven cooking, carving wooden spoons, basic leather-working, building fires without matches, hand-stitching clothing and shoulder bags, candle making, soap making, first aid, and wilderness survival are just a few of the skills the kids learn.
All of these classes culminate in a yearly week-long canoe trip in which the kids bring only the kinds of equipment and tools that were available to Lewis and Clark. Instead of matches, they use flint and steel to start fires. Instead of modern tents, they use canvas tarps to build shelters. Instead of dehydrated backpacking food, they learn to cook wholesome and healthy meals with fresh ingredients over a campfire.
Along the way, the kids also learn about American history from the 1804 time period. Because the Lewis and Clark Expedition was a military unit, the kids have a basic uniform, learn respect for others, develop leadership skills, and are taught to work together as a team to overcome problems and obstacles. Our motto is "Using the Past to prepare for the Future."
All in all, the 1804 Club is a great program to help youths develop life-skills that will be useful to them and their communities. If you want to learn more about the 1804 Club and see photos of our activities take a look at our 1804 Club Facebook page here .
So, this is where you can help. We estimate that it costs about $5000 to run the program for one year. These costs include food and supplies for camping trips, supplies and tools for craft projects, shoulder patches and ball caps for uniforms, and purchasing fuel for transporting kids to special activities. Your donation can help us continue working with these kids to teach them skills they can use through out their lives. As stated above, we're using the "Past to prepare for the Future" but it costs money to do it, so any donation is greatly appreciated.
My name is Charles Lamica. I own and operate Boulder Creek Saddle Shop in Kettle Falls, Washington. One of my passions is teaching traditional skills to kids. As a result, I created a youth group called the 1804 Club. This program is for kids 11 through 18 who have an interest in outdoors, camping, primitive skills, and traditional handcrafts. We call it the "1804 Club" because we study the skills, practices, and history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which began its journey in 1804.
The kids in this program learn a variety of skills that were common to the pioneers and explorers of the early 19th Century. Canoeing, primitive camping, Dutch oven cooking, carving wooden spoons, basic leather-working, building fires without matches, hand-stitching clothing and shoulder bags, candle making, soap making, first aid, and wilderness survival are just a few of the skills the kids learn.
All of these classes culminate in a yearly week-long canoe trip in which the kids bring only the kinds of equipment and tools that were available to Lewis and Clark. Instead of matches, they use flint and steel to start fires. Instead of modern tents, they use canvas tarps to build shelters. Instead of dehydrated backpacking food, they learn to cook wholesome and healthy meals with fresh ingredients over a campfire.
Along the way, the kids also learn about American history from the 1804 time period. Because the Lewis and Clark Expedition was a military unit, the kids have a basic uniform, learn respect for others, develop leadership skills, and are taught to work together as a team to overcome problems and obstacles. Our motto is "Using the Past to prepare for the Future."
All in all, the 1804 Club is a great program to help youths develop life-skills that will be useful to them and their communities. If you want to learn more about the 1804 Club and see photos of our activities take a look at our 1804 Club Facebook page here .
(Photo: Our Club consists of two squads. Here, Grizzly Squad proudly displays their new squad flag which they designed and made themselves.)
(Photo: Some of the 1804 Kids learning how to use a compass for land navigation.)
But, this training comes at a cost. We don't make use of government grants or public funds to run our program. We generate a limited amount of funds by charging a small weekly dues ($5 per week per kid) for membership. Many of our kids come from single-parent homes in which money is limited. As a result, myself and some of the parents involved in the club have been using our own finances to help support the activities of the Club. As you can imagine, it's not cheap to run a youth program of 12 to 15 kids. On week long canoe trip last summer we spent over $400 just on food for the kids. We're planning to take the kids on a field trip in April to visit Fort Clatsop, in Oregon, where Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1805/06, and we estimate that trip will cost about $1200.00.(Photo: Some of the 1804 Kids learning how to use a compass for land navigation.)So, this is where you can help. We estimate that it costs about $5000 to run the program for one year. These costs include food and supplies for camping trips, supplies and tools for craft projects, shoulder patches and ball caps for uniforms, and purchasing fuel for transporting kids to special activities. Your donation can help us continue working with these kids to teach them skills they can use through out their lives. As stated above, we're using the "Past to prepare for the Future" but it costs money to do it, so any donation is greatly appreciated.
Organizer
Charles Lamica
Organizer
Kettle Falls, WA