(Woodstock, VA) Local man Dillon Frazier recently returned from a five day hike in the Grand Canyon along the Colorado River. Along the way he was trained to teach “Leave No Trace” classes; courses dealing with survival skills and ethical wild land practices provided by the National Outdoor Leadership School.
Frazier is the first recipient of the John Duncan Wilburn Adventure Scholarship which enabled him to fund his training.
“I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect experience,” said Frazier who is eager to share what he learned with the Shenandoah River community. “I will forever be thankful to the Shenandoah Community Foundation and the Friends of the North Fork for this amazing opportunity.”
Created in cooperation with the Wilburn family and the Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, the scholarship honors the memory of John Duncan Wilburn, who died in 2014 when he was just 30 years old. Wilburn was an avid kayaker, traveler, mountain climber, and biker who had a passion for the great outdoors. The scholarship commemorates his spirit of adventure and commitment to learning about and preserving the environment that he loved.
The scholarship is open to individuals who wish to participate in an outdoor adventure or environmental learning program and can be used for such program costs at a college or university, or for other non-profit outdoor learning institutions such as Outward Bound and the like.
“We are so pleased that Dillon had such a positive experience in Colorado and are eager to see what next year’s recipient will do,” said SCF Program Coordinator, Jeanne Russell. “Those interested in applying for this scholarship should visit www.shenandoahCF.org or www.fnfsr.org for more information and download the application. We will be accepting applications from January 1, 2017 to March 1, 2017.”