"Enviro Dollars" Support Diverse Trail Group

IMBA Trail News
Volume 11, Number 2
May-June 1998

Trails4All, a multi-user trail organization in the southern suburbs of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, has developed an innovative fundraising device which allows consumers to donate to the group while purchasing items in stores. The system uses an attractive point-of-purchase display and information card. Consumers pick up a card and hand it to the cashier, who then adds a one dollar charge to the bill. The participating business keeps the money in a separate account and periodically forwards the proceeds to Trails4All.

Mountain bicyclist Meyer has developed the program, and the whole organization. Meyer patterned the "Enviro Dollar" coupons after a similar "Food For All" program which raises a million dollars a year for destitute people in California. The Enviro Dollar coupons are available at major outdoor gear retailers such as REI and Adventure 16, 15 bike shops, and six feed and tack stores. The goal is 100 outlets.

Trails4All is spending the money to support the diverse, energetic trails community of Orange County. The group's press packet observes, "One might say that Trails4All is similar in concept to the United Way, in its method of financial distribution to deserving organizations."

Trails4All distributed its first $500 grant last December to the Shade Tree Partnership to support a volunteer tree planting. The next grants went to San Mateo Wilderness Mounted Assistance, an equestrian patrol, and to the Cleveland National Forest to pay for radios for search and rescue teams.

Although Orange County is best known for a billion dollar bankruptcy, the local government rebuilt its coffers and in December, 1996, donated $184,000 to Trails4All. The three-year general support grant provided 100% of operating expenses in the first year, 60% for year in year two, and 30% for year three. The county also provides about $10,000 in in-kind support in the form of offices, telephones, and reprographics. Meyer receives a salary and is building fundraising operations to make the group self-sufficient.

He has turned to a wide variety of major corporations who have locally based operations, including Disneyland, Bank of America, Target, Fluor, Chevron, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and bike manufacturer GT. Employees from these companies are donating their time, as well. And since 1993, Shimano American has provided space at its corporate headquarters and free pizza for the group's quarterly meetings.

In addition to grants, a major function of Trails4All is coordination. "We found a lot of groups doing volunteer projects on each others' weekends. They could not share tools, leaders, or trail bosses. They would build to suit their own needs, but not other users," Meyer explained. "If there is a big project with 200 people (such as those sponsored by REI) you need to break volunteers into manageable groups, so you need 15 or 20 trail bosses. We borrow people from many clubs and groups, so the efficiency is now much greater.... We also provide training with Kurt Loheit IMBA's trails resource director."

Behind all this success is Meyer's selfless devotion to trails and community volunteerism. The group's first meeting was in October, 1992, but there was no funding for salaries until '97. Meyer, a single dad with four children, worked picking up trash and cleaning restrooms while he devoted his free time to building the organization.

Meyer also assists SHARE, a member group of IMBA.

To contact Meyer and Trails4All, call 714/834-3136; fax: 714/834-7657; email: ; web: www.trails4all.org.