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FLC alumnus receives grant for Hopi outdoor program
Adventures for Hopi, a program founded by Fort Lewis College alumnus Marshall Masayesva (Adventure Education, 2014), has been awarded a $10,000 grant through the KEEN Effect grant program, which supports nonprofits around the world that inspire responsible outdoor participation.
Masayesva says the funding will go toward purchasing outdoor equipment for Adventures for Hopi. The program was one of seven KEEN Effect grant recipients from more than 800 applications from outdoor-related nonprofits. Applicants represented every state and more than 19 countries.
Having grown up in the Village of Bacavi, on the Hopi Reservation, Masayesva came to FLC with the goal of giving back to his community after graduation through sharing the social, developmental, and therapeutic benefits of adventure activities.
After he graduated in 2014, Masayesva founded Adventures for Hopi, a developmental education program that serves youth on the Hopi Reservation of Northern Arizona. One of the program’s goals is to outfit individuals who want to participate in outdoor activities, regardless of their economic ability.
“When Marshall and I would discuss his plans for after graduation, he’d frequently talk about returning to his land and his people,” says Lee Frazer, assistant professor in the FLC Adventure Education Department. Frazer was Masayesva’s advisor when he was a student, and the two have remained close while Masayesva laid the foundation to start Adventures for Hopi.
“As a student, it was always a theme with Marshall,” says Frazer. “His senior research project, internship, and other course projects were often related to this type of philanthropic venture that would meld culture, outdoor adventure, and education.”
KEEN is a manufacturer of hybrid outdoor and casual products, including footwear, clothing, and accessories. The KEEN Effect is part of KEEN’s Hybrid.Care giving program, which has donated more than $8 million in funds and resources to nonprofits around the world since 2004.
Learn more about Adventures for Hopi or FLC's Adventure Education major.