SAN FRANCISCO (Dec. 9, 2015) — Any Mountain, the premier retailer for ski, snowboard, bike and outdoor gear in the Bay Area, is celebrating the holiday season with their annual fundraising campaign that encourages their customers to support Big City Mountaineers (BCM)with every purchase. Through Jan. 3, Any Mountain customers can round up their purchase totals, and all proceeds will be contributed to BCM, a nonprofit organization offering programs that teach critical life skills to under-resourced youth through wilderness mentoring expeditions.

Any Mountain has been spearheading this fundraising campaign for Big City Mountaineers since 2007 and in the past 6 years it has become part of Vail Resorts company-wide Echo program. In addition to raising funds, many Any Mountain employees also volunteer during the year and that hands on involvement with BCM has strengthened their ties and commitment to this outdoor program for youth.

This year, the Any Mountain staff has set a goal to raise $21,000. In this easy “round up” campaign, customers that have made a purchase will be asked if they would like to round-up their purchase to the nearest dollar with 100 percent of funds going to BCM.  As an additional incentive for customers to contribute, Any Mountain’s parent company, Vail Resorts, matches $0.50 for every dollar raised.Through the generosity of customers and shoppers, Any Mountain and Vail Resorts have raised nearly $150,000 for BCM youth over the past 8 years.

“Since our founding in 1990, Big City Mountaineers has changed the lives of over 7,300 children. Our weeklong wilderness programs have a proven record of increasing participants’ likeliness to stay in school, as well as reducing instances of violence and drug use,” says Big City Mountaineers Executive Director Bryan Martin. “Generous partners like Any Mountain make it possible for us to make an impact in communities in Northern California and elsewhere across the U.S.”

About Big City MountaineersBig City Mountaineers (BCM) instills critical life-skills in under-served young people each year by getting them outdoors with volunteer mentors for life-changing wilderness experiences.  BCM’s unique model of 1 to 1 mentoring is proven to develop integrity, responsibility, and improve communication skills and decision making abilities in youth from risk-filled environments. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, BCM has taken over 7,300 under-served kids camping, hiking and paddling. They have run over 700 week-long expeditions and 75 overnight camps. They have engaged nearly 5,000 adult volunteers as mentors and have have worked in 12 states. BCM has provided over 36,000 nights under the stars for kids who would not have had the opportunity otherwise. To learn more, please visit www.bigcitymountaineers.org. 

Contact:Carl JohnsonBackbone Media, LLCPR for Big City MountaineersCarl.johnson@backbonemedia.net