OUR MISSION
to inspire a love for the outdoors and foster environmental stewardship in children through free and affordable outdoor instruction programs.
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What we do:
Earth Optimist Club bridges the gap in communications between school systems and outdoor instruction companies, to create and cover the cost of outdoor programs for children. We work with public schools to identify youth from challenged backgrounds and help to integrate them into community, and relay these relationships to outdoor instruction companies. Our current partnerships include: Rhode Island Department of Education, Town of Westerly Recreation Department, Mystic Aquarium, Southern RI Conservation District, Rockspot Climbing Gym, Yawgoo Valley, Paddlesurf RI, Colorful Lineup, Boston Museum of Science and more.
Earth Optimist Club also produces community events such as the Celebration of Surf Festival in Westerly RI, an annual festival with national music acts, historic and unique surfboard collections, world-class and locally renowned artists and surfers, and presents fundraising opportunities for local non-profits and coastal conservation efforts and initiatives.
Who we are:
Earth Optimist Club was founded by New England native, Avery Dodd. He moved out west after graduating with a degree in Entrepreneurship from Berklee College of Music in 2018 and became involved in the music and outdoor industries. An EMT, Wilderness First Responder, USCG Captain, and with over six years working in the outdoor instruction space, Avery has spent his summers teaching surf instruction for Paddlesurf as a Managing Director at the Ocean House and Weekapaug Beach in Rhode Island. In the winters he has worked as a PSIA certified advanced ski instructor at Killington Ski Resort, and Big Sky Resort, and has lived in Manhattan Beach California, Bozeman Montana, and Park City Utah. In the shoulder seasons, he is often on the road adventuring during music tours. In addition to 15+ years of surfing experience, a lifetime of swimming and ocean familiarity, and 25+ years of skiing experience, he has surfed in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Spain, Kauai, Jamaica, Mexico, Ireland, the entire US coastline, and has climbed 13/67 fourteen-ers (mountains over 14,000ft high) so far in the United States.
He is driven by the pursuit to inspire positive social and environmental change through education, music, and entertainment.
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