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Sara's Scholarship - Engaging Teens in the Outdoors
made possible by a partnership between Teens To Trails & The Chewonki Foundation
Rebecca Slack receives Sara's Scholarship
"I was awarded the Sara Leone Scholarship this past spring and it changed my life. I attended the Chewonki Girls Session I, Penobscot White Water Kayaking Expedition in June. I feel like I came back from camp a different girl than when I went. It taught me that I could push myself a lot farther than I ever could have imagined ... that I could survive and thrive on my own. I would like to say, hands down, that this trip was the best thing that has EVER happened to me! I will never forget it. It has changed my life."
~  Becca Slack, 2009 Scholarship Recipient
READ all of Becca's note - READ news article
Scholarship Recipients for 2010


Meet our 2010 Scholarship Recipients...
Wiscasset High School Sophomores
James Andretta & Abigail Foster
Read the Announcement

(February 8th photo from left to right: Ryan Linehan, Chewonki's Summer Wilderness Programs Director; Carol Leone, Teens To Trails; James Andretta; Abigail Foster; Genell Vashro, Chewonki's Girls Camp Director; Ralph Keyes, Wiscasset High School Outing Club Advisor - see photos on Fickr)


We are pleased to offer Sara's Scholarship ~ Engaging Teens in the Outdoors. Each year, Sara's Scholarship will send two Maine high school sophomores - one young woman and one young man - on a 3-week summer wilderness adventure. This opportunity is made possible by a partnership between Teens To Trails and The Chewonki Foundation. This wilderness experience will be an extraordinary adventure in self-discovery, opening a whole new world to two teens - an opportunity they would not otherwise be able to afford. We know these experiences can change a life. It is also our intent that this Scholarship will spark student interest in the outdoors & Outing Club participation, and encourage the growth of Outing Clubs across the State.  DESCRIPTION & APPLICATION

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SaraSara was in love with the world. Her strong connection with the out-of-doors played an important role in the person she had become. That is where her natural curiosity and love of learning first took root. Self-confidence grew from her many outdoor experiences along with a self-awareness beyond her years. The thoughtful way she explored the natural world became the manner in which she lead her life - with passion and compassion. Nature was a part of Sara, just as Sara is forever a part of those who knew her.

In 2005, Sara's family & friends established a Scholarship in her memory hosted by her own Wiscasset High School. Along with college pursuits, the Scholarship encouraged Sara's spirit of individuality. For three years, in June 2006, 2007 & 2008, the Scholarship was awarded to a college-bound graduating senior girl chosen by a committee of Sara's coaches and teachers. Three wonderful young women were recipients of these first Sara Leone Scholarship Awards:  Kate Riser, Mckenzie Smith and Foxfire Buck.

During that same time, Teens To Trails was born, dedicated to engaging Maine teens in the outdoors. This initiative, too, was inspired by Sara along with the Wiscasset Outing Club that makes outdoor opportunities accessible to all its students. Following the graduation of Sara's own high school Class of 2008, we were able to bring Sara's Scholarship Fund under the umbrella of Teens To Trails, allowing for tax deductible contributions and this exciting new focus.  LEARN HOW to APPLY


The Chewonki Foundation, Camp Chewonki for Girls & Co-Ed Wilderness Trips
~ fostering an appreciation for the natural world and for working in community with others
The Chewonki Foundation is well respected for its leadership in education and conservation. They trace their roots on Chewonki Neck to the beginning of the 20th century, when their summer camp for boys opened on the shores of Montsweag Bay. Nearly a century later, Chewonki continues to maintain its traditional boys camp along with a broad array of environmental education programs, traveling natural history programs, wilderness trips & workshops for adults, families, and groups, and a residential academic program for high-school juniors called Maine Coast Semester. The campus itself has become a model for sustainable management of natural resources.

In 2008, after nearly a decade-long search, the Chewonki Foundation opened Camp Chewonki for Girls on Fourth Debsconeag Lake in the heart of Maine’s North Woods.  The Camp offers a variety of unique opportunities  for young women to explore the natural world in a challenging, fun, and nurturing environment.  By camping and traveling in small groups, young women experience many rich dimensions of wilderness living while gaining self-confidence, cultivating relationships with their peers and leaders, learning a wide variety of skills, and deepening their knowledge of the wild places. Chewonki also offers co-ed wilderness adventures where teens make great new friends, learn advanced outdoor skills, and travel through some of the most awesome beauty in the northeast. Chewonki's leaders support each participant in discovering her/his inborn capacity for courage, compassion, insight, and perseverance, allowing each teen to return home with heightened self-awareness, expanded horizons, and a renewed sense of wonder.

Chewonki is a recognized leader in what they offer young people and the results they achieve in creating lifetime stewards of the natural world.  Teens To Trails is proud to be associated with this innovative, caring group.