Wichita, KS — Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors announced today Cabela’s Outdoor Fund has awarded the organization a grant to fund the development of a revolutionary Digital Mentoring program delivered via the Powderhook app. The app functionality will provide hunters and anglers with ready access to Digital Mentors in their area. Digital Mentors who use the app provide advice and tips, making it easier for new people to begin, and helping people of all experience levels enjoy better days outdoors.
“Thanks to the generosity of Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors and Powderhook will be able to provide a valuable resource for new hunters and anglers through an online social support system,” stated Mike Christensen, President of Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors, Inc. “We are grateful that Cabela’s Outdoor Fund shares our vision and is lending their support to our efforts. We believe we can multiply our impact by adding a technology component to our existing programs, and expanding through an app in places we don’t yet work on a daily basis.”
According to Powderhook CEO, Eric Dinger, mentoring has been a hot topic among the 50 state fish and wildlife agencies, as well as leading non-government organizations, but solutions that scale to meet the demand for mentoring have been tough to find. “A traditional mentoring relationship remains the backbone of how we’ll get more people started in the outdoors. Most people reading this can probably harken back to their mentor, whether it was their father, grandpa or neighbor. But, being a long-term mentor to a single child or new person via a traditional mentoring approach requires a lot of time. We believe many people who may not be able to commit the time to a full mentoring relationship will be willing to lend an answer here or there via an app. The essence of mentorship boils down to having someone there to answer your question when you have one – and to show you the ropes as you begin to discover life as a sportsman. While the app certainly can’t do what in-person mentorship can do, we can offer a helpdesk-like environment via the app with thousands of Digital Mentors ready to chip in their local expertise.”
Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors has held shooting clinics and hunter safety classes, provided used fishing rods/reels to both mentors and children, organized hunting and fishing excursions, hiking and canoeing adventures, all as part of an ongoing effort to give children the chance to get outdoors. “Expanding our reach and support via a digital mentoring application will boost our efforts to get more children outdoors, hunting and fishing. Ultimately we believe we can get people exposed to our program via Digital Mentoring, and perhaps draw a percentage those participants into our current programs.” explained Christensen.
“The launch of a digital mentoring app through Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors and Powderhook is very exciting and innovative. It will make mentors more accessible to new enthusiasts who are looking to enjoy the great outdoors,” said Scott Wanetka vice president of Cabela’s Outdoor Fund. “This will prove to be a valuable asset for new beginners and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund is proud to support these efforts.”
Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors partners with state fish and wildlife agencies, conservation organizations and youth organizations to give at-risk children outdoor opportunities they would not have had otherwise. “Too many children today never get the chance to experience the great outdoors we all know and love. When you hear a youngster say they’ve never seen a cow or been on a dirt road, you know we have to step up our efforts to get these children outdoors,” stated Christensen.
The Digital Mentoring functionality will be available via the Powderhook app prior to the start of the 2016 hunting season.
About Cabela’s Outdoor Fund
Cabela’s Outdoor Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to efforts that promote and protect hunting, shooting sports, trapping, fishing, camping and conservation. This fund is possible through donations from generous Cabela’s customers who choose to “round up” their purchases to the nearest dollar at Cabela’s stores. The Cabela’s Outdoor Fund contributes to other like-minded organizations in communities across the country working to make the great outdoors even better. More information about Cabela’s Outdoor Fund can be found on the web at http://www.cabelas.com/category/Outdoor-Fund.
About Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors
Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors is a Wichita, Kansas-based national organization dedicated to providing children with mentors who will share with them the experiences of traditional outdoor activities. The heart of the group’s mission is to give children opportunities to connect with nature that they more than likely won’t have without a mentor showing them the way. Partnering with organizations with like-minded conservation and youth participation efforts like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Pheasants Forever, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Delta Waterfowl, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the National Wild Turkey Federation, among others, volunteers with a passion for the outdoors can give a child the chance to go fish, hunt, or simply spend time in the fields with a caring adult. For more information about Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors, please visit www.outdoormentors.org.
About Powderhook, Inc.
Powderhook is an app and website built to incentivize sportsmen and women to help each other get outdoors more often. Together with forward thinking outdoor industry brands, state agencies and leading NGO’s, Powderhook’s team is tackling some of the toughest challenges facing the future of hunting, fishing and recreational shooting. To get the free app, available for Apple and Android, visit www.powderhook.com.
