Not So Simple Gifts

As a young adult, figuring out what comes after high school can be challenging. Is college in your future? What about a gap year? Do you have all the skills you need to be successful in whatever you choose?

With so many unanswered questions, courses like Outward Bound can be extremely valuable in discovering "what's next." The Simple Gifts Fund is one organization that agrees. Each year, The Simple Gift Fund recognizes outstanding students in Sampson County, North Carolina by offering scholarships to Sampson Community College graduates with the proviso that first, the award winners participate in a North Carolina Outward Bound School course. The Simple Gifts Fund provides up to $50,000 per year to help each student earn a four-year college degree from a private liberal arts institution outside the state of North Carolina.

Outward Bound is invaluable for these students. Before they face the challenges of navigating college life at prestigious institutions like Harvard, Howard, and Hollins, they’ll first have to learn to navigate by map and compass in some of the most pristine wilderness landscapes in North Carolina.

This summer, eight of Sampson County, North Carolina’s brightest young people will prepare for their college careers by embarking upon a trying, multi-day wilderness expedition with NCOBS in the Blue Ridge Mountains or the Outer Banks.

Georgia-Pacific Partners for Change

"The course taught me the beautiful value of struggle and how to be daring and resilient. This experience has strengthened my heart, passion, and desire to achieve greater things." OBA Student Alum

In 1990, North Carolina Outward Bound School (NCOBS) established Outward Bound Atlanta (OBA) to serve the needs of under-resourced schools and communities. We knew at the time that corporate partners, committed to improving the communities where they live and work, were essential to the success of this new initiative. Now more than 16,000 alumni strong, we honor and thank one of the visionary corporate partners who helped to forge our programs in Atlanta and who sustains them to this day—Georgia-Pacific, our partner since 1992. Their support has been steadfast and invaluable to our mission to create positive community impact. Together, we serve Atlanta’s youth with custom-designed, high impact programs that in 2018 alone, reached 1,990 Atlanta youth. Propelled by this enlightened corporate support, positive program results, and ever-growing need, we hope to expand our program reach by 2029 to 3,200 Metro Atlanta students a year.

Partner Testimonial—Teaching Teachers

"Through this partnership I have been able to send several cohorts of both teachers and students from Asheville High School on various Outward Bound courses. The feedback I have received from teachers and students alike has been overwhelmingly positive.

The benefits to my school (and these participants) have been noteworthy. One of the teachers who participated in his course came back and shared with the staff that before course he was feeling burned out on teaching and was seriously considering leaving the profession. This veteran teacher went on his course and came back a changed, energized, and motivated teacher. This opportunity was exactly what he, his students, and our school needed!

Our student participants shared similar stories. One young African-American student came back and shared that she had never spent so much time in the outdoors but learned so much about herself and her ability to show leadership, resilience, and self-reliance.

I cannot say enough about how these experiences impact our participants directly and by doing so, have an indirect positive impact on my school."

Dr. Jesse Dingle, Principal, Asheville High School, Asheville, NC

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