Future for KIDS’ mission is to provide mentor-driven, out-of- school time programs and camps that focus on academics, athletics and ethics to improve the lives of youth who face adversity. For more than 30 years, we have been standing alongside kids and their families to provide the extra support needed to navigate life’s challenges. Our vision is that all children have the resources for a bright future. futureforkids.org TAX CODE 20196

Tracy Baynes’ original education was in oceanography. So how did she end up starting an education nonprofit in Arizona? Baynes came to Arizona to work at BioSphere 2 a couple of decades ago and was moonlighting doing semester-at-sea programs for students, as well as instructing for the National Outdoor Leadership School, or NOLS, for short. Her story is an example of how sometimes, a new path that you weren’t anticipating presents. Baynes loved the work with NOLS and other programs she was involved with that allowed youth to not just experience the outdoors but to experience it in challenging ways that helped develop their character. These programs would do wonders for increasing the students’ confidence and preparing them for real-world challenges while broadening their horizons. But she noticed something missing from the work. “I found that, gosh, I’m only seeing a subset of students, and typically that subset is wealthy and awfully white,” she said. “I started thinking, ‘Where is everybody else?’ And then, I got into looking at educational statistics and saw this huge educational achievement gap between low-income and high- income kids. You know when you see those statistics that it’s not about ability alone.” That’s when the light bulb went off. She’d seen what the transformational programs she had led through NOLS could do to help students grow. What if those programs were available to Arizona kids from lower-income environments? How could those students benefit from the kind of confidence these programs create? Step by Step Expedition program teaches life skills students can take to college and beyond BY TOM EVANS NEXT DOORS FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 59