Preparing The Trail 2010

PLANTING TREES NOW SO WE CAN PLAY IN THEM LATER! www.preparingthetrail2010.com

Preparing the Trail 2010 is a grass roots environmentally active, not-for-profit, athletic organization dedicated to promoting environmental and health awareness programs in our communities. Through our program - athletes, volunteers, members, and community supporters will come together to plant thousands of trees across the country in an active movement to build an environmentally sustainable, healthy, and vibrant future.

Preparing the Trail 2010 will attract community members and youth to 30 outdoor athletic events, tree planting initiatives throughout the country, and organize programs that bring technology, athletics, and the environment together in unique and engaging ways. Our movement demonstrates proper tree planting techniques, teaches tree education, teaches others about new environmental technologies, and plants trees while participating in athletic events.

Using a combination of GPS and Google Map technology, through our interactive website, each tree planted is marked and documented with the intended purpose of making it eligible for adoption online through our unique "tree adoption program". Once adopted, the donations are directed to Athletic Charities (The Canadian Olympic Foundation), and to Trees Ontario for planting projects that will create a chain reaction of growth (please see website for a visual explanation of our how our program works). Adopted trees are then uploaded to a custom Google Map, allowing adopters to virtually watch over their tree as it grows online.

To date, we have planted nearly 300 trees across the country (over 100 in Ontario), distributed nearly 800 saplings in the province, raised over $1000 dollars for 2010 Olympic Athletes, and engaged over 1000 Canadians in our adoption program. Our goal is to raise $100,000 dollars for Olympic athletes, and raise $100,000 for environmental causes, all while planting thousands of trees across Canada.

Our program meets needs and builds on opportunities on local, provincial, and national levels.

Local: On a local level, we are supporting health and wellness, and environmentally active programs, and engaging community members of all ages in our programs. With the health of our future generations at risk, we hope to be agents of change, bringing technology and the environment together, in new, engaging, and socially and physically active ways.

Provincial: On a provincial scale, we have partnered with Trees Ontario as part of a 50million tree program, a program whose mission is to plant 50 million trees across Ontario by 2020. Through strategic partnerships with provincial organizations, we hope to leverage our program to a province wide initiative. It is imperative that our province improves it's tree planting efforts, as urban sprawls have significantly decreased the number of trees being planted each year. Up until the early 1990's nearly 20 million trees were being planted annually; as of 2006 those numbers have diminished to slightly more than 2 million. We must work together to preserve Ontario's greenbelt.

National: On a National scale we are taking this opportunity to engage ourselves, and open doors for the community to be a part of the spirit of the Olympic Games. As any athlete might tell you, they need support, and we are the organization that will be there to help. Following the 2010 Olympic Games, our programs will be dedicated to further supporting athletes as they work towards future Olympic Games'. Through partnerships with Olympic Organizations, we hope to help support our future Canadian Athletes as they pursue their dreams, and inspire further generations of Canadians to get off the couch and take a breath of fresh air. But it is about more than that - we hope to preserve the beautiful Canadian landscape so that future generations will be able to enjoy our natural outdoor athletic facilities.

If this application is successful, the funds will be used to execute tree planting and education programs that will encourage Ontarians to lead healthier lifestyles, and promote a greener economy and community. It will fund tree planting events, including the purchase of trees, associated capital equipment, environmental education showcases, and it will offset organizational costs required to engage Ontario's general public in this environmentally active program. We are requesting a minimum of $45,000 to help support our program. Our program budget is $97,000, but any help will go a long way.

As I'm sure you understand we will all need to give generously to bring a project of this magnitude to life and create an important legacy of environmental and social innovation. With your help today, we will be taking definitive steps towards an environmentally active future!

Best,

Preparing the Trail 2010

Please consider adopting a tree @ www.preparingthetrail2010.com

LET'S GET GROWING CANADA!