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First Descents

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First Descents
Founded2001
FounderBrad Ludden
TypeNonprofit
FocusHumanitarian[1]
Location
Area served
United States, Costa Rica, Peru, Vietnam, Patagonia, and Bali[2]
ProductOutdoor adventures for cancer fighters
Key people
Ryan O'Donoghue (Executive Director)
Revenue$1,906,780 (2012)[3]
Employees11–50[1]
WebsiteFirstDescents.org
Brad Ludden on the '4,000 islands' section of the Mekong river in Laos

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

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b "First Descents - LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  2. ^ "Programs - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "2012 Year in Review" (PDF). First Descents. Denver, Colorado. 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  4. ^ "Outdoor Adventure for Cancer Fighters - FIRST DESCENTS.ORG". First Descents. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  5. ^ Badenhausen, Kurt (October 19, 2011). "First Descents: Cancer Camp For Young Adults". Forbes. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  6. ^ "First Descents Launches Adventures for Frontline Health Care Workers". 5280. May 19, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Meghan Dunn (September 8, 2016). "Outdoor adventure empowers young cancer patients". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  8. ^ Bibber, Ryan Van (November 3, 2020). "The 50 Best Places to Work in 2020". Outside Online. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Running Rapids in the Fight Against Cancer". The New York Times. August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  10. ^ "Staff". First Descents. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "First Descents - Guidestar". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  13. ^ Flowers, Lisa A. (March 8, 2018). "First Descents". Boulder Weekly. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Key Numbers & Annual Reports - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ McKee, Kim (April 20, 2012). ""Out Living It" by Kim McKee". Kickstarter. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  17. ^ "Out Living It Documentary - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  18. ^ "Out Living It (2012) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
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