Friends of Shawnee Annual Report

2015 ANNUAL REPORT Friends of the Shawnee National Forest 12 In The Media Community Presence 15 14 Looking Forward Message: Executive Director and Board Chair Contributing to Visitor Safety on the Shawnee 11 Financial Report Appreciation of our members! Volunteer Spotlight Appreciation of our members! 08 Helping people enjoy, experience, & explore the Shawnee National Forest Our favorite photos of 2015 09 Table of Contents 07 05 13 04 06 Board of Directors & Partners 10 Revenue at a Glance Community Rewards Programs 2015 was our most successful year yet in terms of new members, membership renewals, two restaurant fundraisers, and donations from events. Your contributions are put right back into supporting programs and projects on the Forest that help get more people outdoors, especially kids! Grants This year we expanded retail sales into the Forest Service office in Vienna in addition to our primary outlet in Harrisburg. 2015 was also the first year we had an online store for maps and merchandise. We also took our merchandise on the road to many events to make it easier for you! Proceeds also help fund outreach and conservation education. Revenue Sources Our first agreement with the Forest Service provided some financial support to us for creating and selling official Shawnee National Forest merchandise to promote the forest. In 2015 we used what was remaining to help pay for the new line of merchandise that can be seen on forest enthusiasts all over southern Illinois. Message from the executive director and board chair 16,496.15 merchandise sales Jennifer Swan 03 $ A year in review of impact, progress, accomplishments, and gratitude from the Friends of the Shawnee National Forest to YOU! Reflections from the Chair of the Board of Directors When I became a board member with Friends of the Shawnee National Forest in January2014, I was delighted. After retiring from the Forest Service in November of 2013 with 31 years of service, I was excited to serve the Forest I love and stay connected with my Forest Service friends in a productive and helpful way. This year was a fantastic year of growth. Your membership and involvement are reflected in this annual report. Good for "all of us" who care about this treasure, the Shawnee National Forest. As a young and growing organization, recruiting talented leaders and involved members is the key to our future. Thank you for your leadership and involvement in an organization that cares deeply about land stewardship, responsible recreation, and connecting more families and kids to nature. We are only as effective as our vision and efforts. $ $ Jennifer Swan Executive Director 10,327.03 Memberships, Fundraisers, and donations Dear Supporters, Partners, and Forest Enthusiasts, Thank you for a wonderful 2015. We COULD NOT have done it without you! With your support we reached more people than ever, grew our supporter base, were on-site at many events such as the Fishing Derbies or providing visitor information services at Garden of the Gods during summer weekends. The photo shown of me was selected to represent a year of Shawnee Friends in one picture. That's me at Garden of the Gods during a promotional weekend, wearing one of our exclusive Shawnee National Forest shirts, hanging out with K9 Police Officer, Samio! (Keep reading to learn about Samio and his importance to the Shawnee). I believe you're going to keep seeing great things from the Shawnee Friends and our amazing network of volunteers and supporters. I feel fortunate just for being involved and watching the organization grow during such an exciting time. Cheers to 2016! - Jennifer Swan   6,496.23 Pat York Board Chair Pat York During 2015 the Shawnee Friends grew our following on social media platforms and found new avenues to communicate with people who have loved the Shawnee for years and those who are just discovering the Forest. Community Engagement Getting Kids Outdoors Connecting with Families In print and online Information & Merchandise Visitor & Interpretive Services Leave No Trace Presentations Multiple radio interviews with WSIU about events and the latest news from the Shawnee National Forest. in the media Being active in the community and at events on the Forest is a critical component of our mission. Face-to-face contact is essential for getting people excited about recreation opportunities on the Shawnee, free education programs for kids and families, and volunteer recruitment. We reached hundreds of people in 2015! community presence Interviewed at Garden of the Gods for the evening news about visitor safety. On-air segment on WBDX 91.1 Community Radio Above: Our 2015 Volunteer of the Year, Logan Johnson, with previous Board Chair, Jody Johnson, and Executive Director, Jennifer Swan. Logan provided over 90 hours in technological support such as website improvements, creating an online store, digital marketing, and more. Without volunteers generously giving us their time the Friends of the Shawnee National Forest would never be able to reach as many people to gain interest in the forest and be able to do the work that is so important to the southern Illinois community. In 2015 we recognized our first Volunteer of the Year. Will you be the next superstar volunteer for 2016? The Shawnee National Forest has a new member of its Law Enforcement and Investigation (LE&I) team: Samio, a 3 year old German Shepherd, is certified in Patrol and Narcotics work and is assigned to LE&I Officer Joan Rizkallah. Samio officially went on duty in November 2014. To support Samio in performing his duties safely the Shawnee Friends partnered with Vested Interests in K9s Inc. - a Massachusetts based organization, and Armor Express - a Michigan based manufacturer to award a ballistic vest to our K9 officer in Spring 2015. What does all this volunteer support mean for the Shawnee National Forest and the community? In 2015 volunteers logged over 1208.5 hours of volunteer service which equates to a value of $27,880. These services are critical in the face of shrinking funding and grants to nonprofit organizations. Additionally, volunteers across the country save the taxpayers A LOT of money. In 2015 United States citizens volunteered over 7.9 billion hours at an estimated value of $184 billion. We are so proud to have contributed to those valuable volunteer hours! Contributing to Visitor Safety on the Shawnee National Forest During the summer we released the latest version of the Shawnee National Forest east side Hiking and Equestrian Trail Map thanks to the efforts of the Forest Service and their knowledgeable staff of GIS and trail experts. We also had assistance from the Shawnee Trail Conservancy who provided expertise from the equestrian community. The map is in color, to scale, on quality water and tear resistant paper, and the legend includes geographical markings for streams, natural areas, wilderness boundaries, trails, and more. Map also includes detailed insets of locations such as Jackson Falls, Pounds Hollow, Garden of the Gods, and more. It is important to the Friends and our partner groups that visitors to the Shawnee have reliable information to keep them on the trail, safe, and having a great time. For the first time ever, this map is now available for purchase through our website with a credit card. 25% of proceeds go towards a trail improvement fund for future projects. Left: Boy Scout Troop #53 from Belleville, Illinois came out to our Trash Blast at Garden of the Gods in celebration of National Public Lands Day in September. Additionally, Friends members, students from SIU, staff from Touch of Nature, and the Forest Service all helped make this event a success! Volunteers the key to our impact & success! When you register your Kroger rewards card you'll be supporting the Shawnee Friends with each trip to the grocery store. Login or create an account with Kroger, register your rewards card, and then shop. Enrolled Supporters will also see a Community Rewards message on the bottom of their Kroger Receipt: Type this link into your browser and search for us by name or with our organization number, 16881 https://www.kroger.com /communityrewards Community rewards programs When you choose the Friends of the Shawnee National Forest as your charitable organization, Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase total of eligible items to support our organization. Just login to select the Friends. Amazon will update your account, and it will automatically apply every time you make a purchase. Type this link into your browser to go directly to our Amazon Smile Page: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/27-3716827 Below is a snapshot of our revenue and expenses for 2015 represented in actual dollars as well as our total value with our dedicated volunteers. In 2015 the Shawnee Friends were accepted as a charitable organization recipient community rewards program with Schnucks, Amazon Smile, and Kroger. Participation in these programs does not cost our supporters anything but rather, the companies donate to us based on the transactions you make in-store and online. Below is information about how you can sign up for these generous programs and support us when you shop! ***25% of our net proceeds from trail map sales are saved for Shawnee National Forest trail improvement projects. Pick up a card at any Schnucks Store. Register your card by signing up with eScrip. Shop at Schuncks and have your card scanned when you check out. Your purchases create automatic contributions of up to 3% of your purchase price. Present your registered Schnucks Community Card or Customer Card when making your purchase. 2015 Financial Report Shawnee friends 2015 & Present Board of directors partners The U. S. Forest Service SIU Touch of Nature Environmental Center University of Illinois Extension Vested Interests in K9s Inc. Bella T Winery SIU Department of Forestry Man-tra-con Corporation U of I Master Naturalist Program Southern Illinois Technology Looking Forward Pat York, Chair , 2015 - present Mitchell Belsley 2012 -2015, interim Board Chair summer 2015 Chris Long 2014 - present Lucia Meijer 2014 - present Shari Sweeney-Sadowski 2015- present Tom Sadowski 2015 - present Susi Vacek 2015 - 2016 Susan Logue 2016- present Chris Benda 2015 - present Jon McClurken 2015 - present Mike Korte 2012 - 2015 David Hug 2014 - 2015 Ely Lane 2014 -2015 Stepheney Studer 2015 Mr. Jody Johnson, Board Chair from 2012 - 2015 Expanding the "Plan Your Trip" section of our website to include more areas of the Shawnee National Forest Adding Instagram to our social media presence Continuing to host Trash Blasts in new locations on the Forest to promote stewardship principles and volunteer participation We'll be at the Fishing Derbies in June and Critter Night in October Guided hikes led by Forest Service employees is an exclusive new benefit added to our membership packages New opportunities to volunteer Increased appearances at Garden of the Gods to answer questions, provide interpretive services, and promote the organization's work in the community Walnut ($2500+) Murphysboro first Bank and Trust Ash ($250-$499) Pat York Cathy and Bruce Slover Alyson Wolz KEB Accounting Attitude Designs Elm ($100-$249) Chris and Carol Long Andrew and Veronica West Anne Hill Joe Cheatwood Donald Scott Edward and Margaret Simonds Lucia Meijer Gerard and Jolynn Smith Mike Korte David and Kathy Flenner Dogwood ($75-$99) Francine Petit and Rick Doan Fred Scott Redbud ($25-$74) Chris Benda Jessica Cox and Family Jen Linson Michelle Buchheit Paul Restivo Suzanne Smith Jennifer Lamb Deb McVey Jon McClurken Carol Klinger Alan Eddington Judy Rogers Anabell Quast Judy Lewis Astrid Mosley Aur Beck Laurel Toussaint Sapling ($15-$24) Shawn Moore Janet Sundberg Ryan Hagler Kathryn Jenkel Tina McEhlhattan Marsha McDaniel Kay Rippelmeyer Heather Casner and Family Stacey Teutrine Benieta Powell Stepheney Studer Eric Stead Anne Adkins Rosemary Calandro Shari Sweeney Tom Sadowski Alex Halbrook Joan Listen Alicia Nale John Crest Stuart Meredith Nathan Speagle Jo Mayer Ruth Hoak Susan Zaitz Dorothy Kates Deb Whittington Judy Martinko   We are grateful A few more photos from 2015 for the individuals and businesses whose generosity make our work possible by becoming members through donations in 2015. info@shawneefriends.org facebook: @shawneefriends twitter: @ShawneeFriends P.O. Box 612 Carbondale IL 62603