OASC has donated a total of $10,658 to charitable organizations!  When joining the club or renewing membership, one has the opportunity to make a charitable donation – matched in part by club funds – to one of six different organizations:

Blue Ridge Mountain Rescue Group
Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA
Charlottesville Free Clinic
Emergency Food Bank
Ivy Creek Foundation
The Nature Conservancy – Central Virginia Piedmont Program

One further creative way club members served our community was via the Halloween Trick-or-treating for Charity adventure (pictures) during which we collected many bags of food for the Emergency Food Bank.

Many thanks to all of you kind souls for giving back to the community we love.

Doing good & having fun

OASC partners with charitable organizations to offer numerous community service adventures.  Here are a few of many highlights,

House-building for Habitat for Humanity
by Ward Campbell, Member since June 2007

With the leadership of Ageless Adventurer Margie Danner-Roth, several OASC members have recently participated in two work days at the Habitat For Humanity homes under construction in Charlottesville's Woolen Mills neighborhood. The Blue Ridge Mountains Rotary Club is building the two side-by-side houses and many local groups are pitching in to help with the construction. The roofs are on, the  windows in, the siding is mostly complete and the plumbing/electrical are finished. However, a great deal of work both inside and outside remains to be done.

A hardy group of OASCers, both Ageless Adventurers and others, answered the call on October 6 and November 24. They could be seen hammering, digging, moving materials, building the deck and installing windows, as well as enjoying a hearty lunch. Working alongside of us were the soon-to-be-owners of the two homes, who must put many hours of "sweat equity" into their new homes. This was a very beneficial work project for all of the OASC members who participated, and we may schedule another day of service soon.
 

Rikki's Refuge Animal Shelter
by Pete Runge, Leader since October 2004

OASC has had regular volunteer workdays at Rikki’s Refuge since November 2005.  Rikki's is a 330 acre, no-kill, all-species sanctuary supported solely by donations. It is owned and operated by Life Unlimited of Virginia, Inc. an approved not-for profit Virginia & IRS Corporation.  It is home to around 700 animals, ranging from unwanted cats rabbits, guinea pigs and dogs, to horses, Emus, ducks, geese, peacocks, chickens, pigs, etc. Pretty much anything you can imagine is there. Many of the animals are available for adoption, but most will live out their natural lives safely at Rikki's.

Kerry Hilliard, Rikki's Refuge Executive of Director, wrote in the October 2007 issue of Rikki's Refuge's "Hairballs" news email,

"Thank you Pete Runge, leader of the Outdoor Adventure Social Club of Greater Charlottesville www.outdoorsocial.com, for bringing out a group of volunteers. You always have such a useful nice group of folks. If anyone else would like to get involved in helping with this group drop me an e-mail and I'll pass it on to Pete. His group worked on additional support to cat house roofing, the final touches of purple paint to the Purple Barn and vaccinating sheep and goats. Always a lot of fun, running, lassoing and wrestling."