The Wolfgang Schlitz Adventure Fund took some of the pressure off sophomore Adam Patinkin's parents and his poker game -- two of his fundraising mainstays -- when it decided to help defray the costs of his expedition to climb the tallest peak in the Americas this fall.
Patinkin's expedition to scale Aconcagua, in the Andes, is certainly ambitious, but it's nothing out of the ordinary for the Dartmouth Outing Club's Wolfgang Schlitz fund, which distributed $4,400 overall to subsidize students' adventures abroad this year. This winter break, the fund will support Patinkin's trip as well as a trek through the Peruvian rainforest and a mountaineering expedition to Ecuador.
Many students whose trips are subsidized by the fund would not otherwise be able to embark on such impressive experiences. Joe Hanlon '05, who will embark on the Ecuadorean expedition, said the fund is subsidizing a significant portion of his travel expenses.
Hanlon also credited the fund's application process for helping him and climbing partner Richard Trierweiler '05 to work through their itinerary and risk-management plan as well as budget for the trip.
The Schlitz Fund began about five years ago, when a group of friends asked the Outing Club for funding to retrace the steps of John Ledyard's trip around Finland by sea. The Outing Club decided that trips like this could help broaden the club's knowledge base. They set aside money each year to help fund such adventures, and the Wolfgang Schlitz Adventure Fund was born.
The fund receives $2,000 a year from the Outing Club endowment, and the Friends of the Dartmouth Outing Club, a sort of booster organization, matches or exceeds this donation.
The Schlitz Fund might seem like just an excuse for Outing Club aficionados to fund their own vacation trips to warm climes, but Outing Club President Rory Gawler '05 said the grants don't hinge on prior involvement with the organization. Rather, they are intended to send people on expeditions that will help make the Outing Club a more vibrant and interesting organization, Gawler said. Anyone can submit applications, which are due halfway through the term before the intended trip.
"The fund is really designed not only to help kids to financially be able to go on some wild trips, but also to encourage adventurers to bring something back to the DOC," said Brian Bates '06, who is heading to the Peruvian rainforest.