Group Spotlight: OCICO

Left Photo: Discovering nature: students who participate in OCICO learn about and participate in conservation. Right Photo:OCICO members remove invasive species.

In sharp contrast to The OC presented in TV dramas, in The Real OC, there are pockets of poverty and thousands of kids who seldom leave the confines of their neighborhood. Orange County Inner City Outings (OCICO) was established in 2002 to help low income young people access the outdoors. One of 55 national ICO chapters, OCICO works with school and community groups to provide outings for kids who might otherwise never experience the quiet of a forest or the wonder of a starry sky. Since its inception, OCICO leaders have taken hundreds of kids hiking, kayaking, camping, snowsledding, backpacking, whale watching, trail building, and Earth Day celebrating: we design every adventure we can think of to help kids develop an understanding and appreciation of our planet and the need to preserve it.

OCICO is a community outreach program of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, yet we do not receive any direct funding from the Sierra Club. Each year we scramble to raise money to help finance our outings. Transportation is very costly. A simple day hike runs between $150 - 400 depending upon the size of the group. A weekend trip to Joshua Tree National Monument runs about $1500. School buses and rental vehicles are expensive.

Is it worth it? You bet! Some of our high school kids are now pursuing college majors in environmental science. Four of our former participants have gone on to become the youngest Sierra Club leaders in the country. We have proudly watched participants develop the self-confidence to envision futures inspired by experiencing the outdoors in ways they'd never imagined.

We need your help to keep our program going. Believe it or not, YOU can help without spending a dime of your own money if you connect your Ralphs or Albertson's savings card, they will send a percentage of the money you spend to OCICO. It does not diminish your savings in any way. All you need to do is set up an online account by registering your card at either www.ralphs.com or www.albertsons.com. For the Ralphs program, link the number on the back of your Ralphs card to the Community Contribution Program. Our OCICO number for Ralphs is 91525. On the Albertson's website, connect to the Community Partnership Program. We are listed as Sierra Club Foundation OCICO and the number is 49001022300. If you have difficulty, call the Albertson's Customer Service number - 1-877-932-7948. They will set up the link for you.

Help us help kids. It is just that simple.