Founded | 2001 |
---|---|
Founder | Brad Ludden |
Type | Nonprofit |
Focus | Humanitarian[1] |
Location | |
Area served | United States, Costa Rica, Peru, Vietnam, Patagonia, and Bali[2] |
Product | Outdoor adventures for cancer fighters |
Key people | Ryan O'Donoghue (Executive Director) |
Revenue | $1,906,780 (2012)[3] |
Employees | 11–50[1] |
Website | FirstDescents.org |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Brad_Ludden.jpg/265px-Brad_Ludden.jpg)
First Descents (FD) is a charitable non-profit organization headquartered in Denver, Colorado.[4] Brad Ludden, a professional kayaker, founded First Descents in 2001.[5]
First Descents has served around 10,000 young adult survivors at over 1,000 programs nationwide.[6] First Descents has been recognized by CNN Heroes[7] and Outside magazine's Best Places to Work.[8]
History
[edit]When Brad Ludden was 12, and his 38-year-old aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer, he decided to volunteer at a local pediatric oncology program and teach kayaking.[9] In 2001, he started First Descents.[10]
In 2016, Ludden won the CNN Hero Award for his work with First Descents.[7][11]
In 2020, First Descents expanded programming to serve healthcare professionals on the frontlines of COVID-19.[12][9]
Programs
[edit]First Descents provides week-long and multi-day programs nationwide.[9] The programs offer climbing, paddling, and surfing.[13]
In 2011, First Descents offered 27 outdoor programs, and 283 people participated. In 2012, the number of outdoor programs grew to 45, and the number of participants was 515.[3] In 2013, First Descents ran programs in 12 states and three countries.[14]
Out Living It documentary
[edit]First Descents founder Brad Ludden approached filmmaker Michael Brown, a three-time Emmy Award winner, about directing a documentary about Ludden's adventures with cancer survivors.[15] First Descents launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the documentary and raised $21,507.[16]
Ludden and 14 other young adult cancer survivors spent a week together in the outdoors. Brown filmed the adventures and interviewed the participants.[17] The film was released on April 14, 2012.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "First Descents - LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "Programs - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "2012 Year in Review" (PDF). First Descents. Denver, Colorado. 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "Outdoor Adventure for Cancer Fighters - FIRST DESCENTS.ORG". First Descents. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ Badenhausen, Kurt (October 19, 2011). "First Descents: Cancer Camp For Young Adults". Forbes. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "First Descents Launches Adventures for Frontline Health Care Workers". 5280. May 19, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ a b Meghan Dunn (September 8, 2016). "Outdoor adventure empowers young cancer patients". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ Bibber, Ryan Van (November 3, 2020). "The 50 Best Places to Work in 2020". Outside Online. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Running Rapids in the Fight Against Cancer". The New York Times. August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "Staff". First Descents. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ Lewis, Chelsey. "First Descents is like cancer camp for young adults, taking survivors on free climbing, kayaking and surfing trips". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ "First Descents - Guidestar". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ Flowers, Lisa A. (March 8, 2018). "First Descents". Boulder Weekly. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ "Key Numbers & Annual Reports - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "Remarks by Michael Brown in Kickstarter introductory video". Kickstarter. April 20, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
When I found out about my friend Brad Ludden's organization, and that he was bringing cancer survivors into the wilderness for wilderness therapy in a setting where diagnosis didn't matter--chemotherapy wasn't the main topic of conversation--and since that time, we've been working on this film. So much has gone so well.
- ^ McKee, Kim (April 20, 2012). ""Out Living It" by Kim McKee". Kickstarter. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ "Out Living It Documentary - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "Out Living It (2012) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
External links
[edit]- "First Descents: Cancer Camp For Young Adults" by Kurt Badenhausen, Forbes, October 19, 2011
- "First Descents: Free Outdoor Adventure Therapy for Young Adults Fighting, Living With, and Surviving Cancer" by Whitney Lange, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) website, January 27, 2011
- "First Descents program raises hope for cancer patients" by Sal Ruibal, USA Today, March 17, 2009