Help a Child Trade Worry for Wonder

Dear Friends,

I need your help.

There are children in our community worrying way more than any child should ever have to worry. And without you, it does not get better.

Will you make a gift to Wilderness Youth Project today to make sure a child does not miss the chance to join us this summer?

A local teacher recently shared stories with us about the youth she has taught who have gone through programs with Wilderness Youth Project over the last few years.

She shared something that’s hard to forget:

For my students, the worry they carry is profound. They worry about having enough to eat and enough money to ride the bus and keeping their families together. They worry about learning language and doing well in school. And on top of it all, they still carry all the worries of any teenager.

When a child worries that much all the time, it becomes very difficult to learn. Difficult to connect. Difficult to just be a kid.

This is happening right here in our Santa Barbara community. Wilderness Youth Project staff see this every day.

Kids arrive anxious. Disconnected. Unsure of themselves. Many spend hours each day on screens and almost no time outside. Many struggle to trust, to engage, to participate.

When you donate to Wilderness Youth Project, you provide the antidote to this disconnection. Summer 2026 is approaching quickly, and you can help a child attend summer camp.

• This summer, 672 children are expected to attend camp.
• More than half will need financial support.
• It costs $450 to provide one full scholarship.
• We must raise $152,880 by June 5, 2026. 

Please make a generous gift of $100, $225, $450, or whatever feels right to you, and directly provide a scholarship that ensures a child can fully participate in Wilderness Youth Project.

Let me tell you more about what’s at stake for families in our community. I would like to tell you about a student named Carlos:

Carlos has attended various programs at Wilderness Youth Project over the years. Carlos is Deaf. At school, communication often depends on adult support. His peers know him, but opportunities for deeper connection are limited.

In his classroom, like so many others right now, there is a constant undercurrent of stress. Distraction. Uncertainty.

And right now, children are already worrying more than ever. Anxiety. Disconnection. Depression. The youth mental health crisis is at an all-time high. Many kids do not have the tools or space to process what they are holding.

After a particularly difficult week at school, Carlos and his classmates gathered in an opening gratitude circle for their monthly adventure with Wilderness Youth Project.

Carlos saw someone he immediately recognized. Diana, a Wilderness Youth Project mentor he had worked with years earlier.

His face lit up. They immediately began signing to each other in American Sign Language. The pair quickly reconnected. Fast. Fluid. Joyful.

In that moment, something shifted. Carlos wasn’t just getting by. He wasn’t just being supported. He truly belonged. He was fully seen.

They all jumped in the vans and headed to Lizard’s Mouth. They climbed up to a rocky overlook to see all of Santa Barbara down below. They sat together. Drank hot tea.

And then something unexpected happened. It started to hail. At first, just a few scattered pieces. Then more. The students began shouting, laughing, surprised, completely caught up in the moment. In awe of what they were all experiencing together.

For a little while, they weren’t thinking about stress. Or uncertainty. Or what might happen next. They were just there. Together.

That moment didn’t solve everything. It didn’t change the heaviness that these kids were carrying. But with time in nature, these kids got:

• A break from carrying it all.
• A reminder that they were not alone.
• A moment of joy in the middle of uncertainty.

And for Carlos, it held even more:

• A relationship that had been built over the years.
• A mentor who already knew him, who communicated the way he did.
• A place where he didn’t have to start over.

Not an escape from reality, but the strength to move through it. That kind of connection does not happen by accident. And it is only possible when programs like Wilderness Youth Project exist. And are funded year over year so that long-term relationships can be built.

That kind of access to the healing power of nature and long-term mentorship does not happen without someone like you. This does not happen on its own. It happens because people like you decide it should.

Not every day is as epic as a hail storm on a mountain top. There are also quieter moments:

That same group of kids is asked to sit alone for fifteen minutes. No phones. No talking. No distractions. Just… stillness.

At first, they can’t do it. They laugh. Fidget. Resist. Because for many of them, being still feels unfamiliar, even uncomfortable.

But slowly, something happens. They settle. They breathe. They begin to experience what it feels like to not worry about everything for a moment.

Think about that.

A child who rarely gets relief from worry… finally gets fifteen minutes without it. That is not small. That is essential.

Here is the reality: Children in our community are overwhelmed. They are disconnected from nature. They are losing opportunities to build confidence, relationships, and resilience. And you can provide a scholarship to change this.

Without intervention, these cycles continue. Without you, it continues. But when you donate, something changes.

A child who feels isolated can become part of a group. A child who feels anxious can relax. A child who feels invisible can be seen.

They stay. They participate. They begin to trust. They begin to believe something different about themselves.

Will you make sure a child can join us this summer?

Your gift today removes a barrier. It means a child can show up. It means they can stay. It means they are not left out.

Please consider a gift of $100, $225, $450, or more. If that’s not possible, please give what you can.

Every gift matters. You can give a child access to something steady. Something real. Something that helps them worry less. But only if you act now. Please make your gift today.

Thank you for caring about children in this community and for choosing to do something meaningful about it.

Gratefully,

Dan Fontaine, Executive Director

P.S. Your gift provides a scholarship that makes summer camp possible for a child. $450 could sponsor a full week. Please give by June 5 to ensure every child can show up, belong, and be part of it.