Bike Tour Reward System, Not Just Fitness

Like your brain? Prove it by raising funds for this sick bucket!

Remember when it wasn’t cool to wear a helmet? Mom would make you take one with you and you’d rather let it hang off your handlebars then be caught wearing it? Sure as heck weren’t about to mess up your middle part with frosted tips!

Well if you could go back in time and hand out one of these bad-boy Giro helmets, Mom would’ve never had to lecture you… they are that cool.

Best part is, you get one of these when you raise $1000! That’s right! All bike tour registrants that raise $1000 get a 2017 Giro Foray helmet!

We Are Canada: The people who will help forge our future

Dr. Bin Hu, a neuroscientist from the Hotchkiss Brain Institute talking about improving Parkinsons Disease through his neuroCAM technology on BT Calgary. 

CBC Spotlight on Crystal Phillips

CBC with some real, quality programming (maybe we’re biased a bit)

In honour of our country’s 150th birthday, the CBC is celebrating the next generation of Canada’s change-makers through their prime-time documentary series, We Are Canada. And wouldn’t you know it, our very own executive director Crystal Phillips has been named one of just a few from across the country! A huge honour!

Starting April 9th, We Are Canada profiles three Canadians each week. You can catch Crystal’s story on April 16th, Easter Sunday! Great time to gather the family and see how Crystal and other passionate Canadians are leading Canada into the next 150 years.

Woohoo! What a day! 

Look closely and you can see a snowshoe hare

The third annual Branch Out Snowshoe Tour was the best one yet! 111 participants, 20 dogs, and nearly $40,000 raised! We even got a few celebrities out and about, including Olympic Champion Michelle Cameron Coulter, Olympian Emily Baadsvik, members of the Calgary Stampeders, and Mrs. Laureen Harper!

 The Branch Out Snowshoe Tour raised more than $40,000 on Feb. 18 to fight neurological disorders.

Snowshoe Is A GO!!!

 Pretend the other end of that rope is tied to you and he’s pulling you to registration.

Us humans have a tough time trudging through snow. We have small feet, freeze in the cold, and we’re heavy. You know who’s not like that? Elves. Like Legolas. You’ll notice in The Fellowship of the Ring that Legolas walks right on top of the snow of the Caradhras mountains.

Fortunately, we have snowshoes instead. And with those snowshoes we shall walk 5 or 10 kilometres to raise funds to fight neurological disorders at the Branch Out Snowshoe Tour!!

It’s at the sweetest place in Alberta, Fallentimber Meadery near Water Valley on February 18th! Bring your dog, bring your kids, bring an elf if you know one! Register HERE. What a great activity for the Family Day weekend!

Unique Family Day Weekend Activity

Branch Out Foundation Snowshoe Tour for the whole family, including your dog(s)

Top Moments of 2016

 Jumping for joy after another great year!

2016 seemed to be a down year for celebrities (RIP Bowie, Prince, Alan Thicke, etc.) but Branch Out was only getting more lively with our most successful year to date!

Some of the many 2016 highlights for Branch Out include:

• Record attendance at our 2016 Snowshoe Tour
• Record number of grants awarded (Nearly $250,000!)
• Partnership with Calgary Flames & Calgary Flames Foundation for MS On Ice event
• Branchy Brew – our very own beer is on tap at Last Best Brewery, raising money for us until 2020
• Branchy Ginger Kombucha – our own kombucha, too! From Wild Tea Kombucha

And of course, it’s all thanks to you, dedicated LEAFlet readers. Oh and also all the other donors, participants, volunteers, sponsors and supporters but for just this second, you LEAFlet readers get all the credit. Thanks for reading!