Sacramento, Calif., May 11, 2021 – On February 12, 2021, Sierra Nevada Journeys lost a valued member of its family with the passing of Carol Whiteside — an iconic role model and former Mayor of Modesto, California. In her honor, Sierra Nevada Journeys’ Board established the Carol Whiteside Scholarship Fund to send youth to camp. The fund will remove a critical access barrier, namely the entire cost for attending camp programs at Grizzly Creek Ranch located in Portola, California, for youth and families in Northern California.
“Carol was passionate about the role our organization plays in helping to provide access to the outdoors and quality educational programs to underrepresented and historically marginalized communities,” says Eaton Dunkelberger, CEO, Sierra Nevada Journeys. “Together, we can make tremendous impacts on families in our community through a safe and fun camp experience. Carol helped make this possible for so many kids and families.”
In 2010, Carol was appointed to Sierra Nevada Journeys’ board by Sierra Health Foundation— a private philanthropy that forges new paths to promote health, racial equity and racial justice across Northern California.
Grizzly Creek Ranch was originally built in 2003 by Sierra Health Foundation as a camp for youth with disabilities. In 2010, Sierra Health Foundation partnered with Sierra Nevada Journeys to launch experiential education at Grizzly Creek Ranch. For the past 10 years, Sierra Nevada Journeys has been operating Grizzly Creek Ranch, bringing fifth and sixth graders to camp for outdoor school, and hosting a variety of community partners for leadership and youth development programs. With Carol’s help, in 2020 Sierra Nevada Journeys purchased the camp from the Sierra Health Foundation after a 3-year capital campaign, and continues to operate programming for the community.
Sierra Nevada Journeys’ Board of Trustees established this scholarship in Carol’s name with a $7,500 investment and with additional matching donations, 10 families attended Family Camp for some much-needed respite.
Carol served as a trustee for a remarkable 11 years with Sierra Nevada Journeys, an environmental education nonprofit that inspires youth to think critically and become stewards of our own natural resources. Sierra Nevada Journeys strives to provide educational equity and inclusion by focusing on underserved youth from Northern California and Northern Nevada. Its programs are delivered in communities that span the I-80 corridor, from Sacramento to Reno, including an outdoor school and other camp programs at its Grizzly Creek Ranch location.
“We all will miss her warmth, compassion, sharp wit and intellect as a leader in our community and in our organization. Carol had a clear vision for what Sierra Nevada Journeys could be and what it could mean to the youth and families of our community, and she worked tirelessly to bring that vision to life. Carol’s life accomplishments were many, including serving as mayor, founder, board member, visionary, and advocate for lifting up those in need,” says Dunkelberger.
Two Sacramento area nonprofits, PRO Youth and Families and Sol Collective, had the opportunity to send families to Family Camp through the Carol Whiteside Scholarship.
“With the pandemic, youth and their families are facing unprecedented levels of isolation. At PRO Youth and Families, we inspire, educate, and mobilize young people — especially those who have experienced trauma — to build a healthier future for themselves, their families, and their communities. When we learned about Sierra Nevada Journeys and their Family Camps, I knew it is was the right partnership for us. Our participants that attended Family Camp experienced social emotional learning, relationship building and communication techniques, all while having fun outdoors as a family,” says Staci Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer at PRO Youth.
Executive Director Estella Sanchez of Sol Collective, says that it started as community-based partnership to bring together a wide variety of community-led programming and activist projects. “With the pandemic, we’ve had to temporarily close our center. Sierra Nevada Journeys’ Family Camps provided an opportunity for some of our families to safely be at camp and enjoy time together surrounded by nature. We truly appreciate the funders that brought this scholarship opportunity to our families,” says Sanchez.
