Josh Stutz - Hiker Highlight Series

Welcome to our Hiker Highlight Series where we’ll be featuring community members sharing their why behind supporting Blue Sky’s Hike for Kids (and why you should too)!

Register to #TakeAHikeForKids at blueskyfund.org/hikeforekids

Meet Josh Stutz, Executive Director for the Friends of the James River Park System & Hike for Kids Committee member! Our team sat down with him to learn more about his reasons behind supporting Blue Sky Fund's mission and why he feels connected to nature.

Favorite Outdoors Spaces
Belle Isle Dry Rocks - they are such a unique geological feature
Sequoia National Park - stands out as one of my most vivid experiences in nature. The grandeur and immensity of the sequoias is hard to explain.

Favorite thing about nature?
I love the sense of community involved in maintaining a shared space. Environmental conservation provides us this opportunity to create this sense of community. This field motivates us to come together & find success outside of financial profit.

Favorite memory of the outdoors?
My favorite memory was seining for macro-invertebrates on the Sandusky River in Ohio for my HS biology class! Mr. Harper offered it as extra credit, which I didn’t need, was just a huge nerd for that sort of thing. It gave me the chance to learn more about what was going on right in my own backyard.

Equity in the outdoors
For kids to grow up this close to the James River but not have access is not what we want for our community. Providing equitable access to the outdoors is our priority moving forward. Glad to be supporting the city initiative to Provide Greenways & Parks for All - so that by 2037 100% of Richmonders live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

Why Hike for Kids?

When I started working in the nonprofit field in Richmond about 5 years ago, BSF stood out to me as an organization doing great work & doing it well. HFK ties together some of my favorite things & was an obvious fit for me to support. Combining support for BSF with the chance to spend time on the trails that I work hard to help maintain is a win-win!

JRPS BSF Partnership

JRPS is one of the finest examples of urban wilderness in the country. Our trail system is virtually unparalleled for a city of this size. We have made some big trail improvements in the past year that I hope can help strengthen & grow the event!

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#TakeAHikeForKids

Hike For Kids is our signature fundraising event benefiting youth in the Richmond area. It brings together hikers to hit the trails of one of Richmond’s most popular attractions, the James River Park System. Richmond hikers will enjoy some of the best urban trails in the country with either a 3, 8 or 14 mile loop. All are welcome to celebrate the journey at our post-hike party with food, beer, games & live music.

Date: Saturday, October 22

Location: VA War Memorial

Register: blueskyfund.org/hikeforkids

Fees: $40 for adults, $15 for youth (17 to 4), and free to kids under 3

💙 Big shoutout to our event sponsors: Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, CoStar, Riverside Outfitters, Kaleo, SageView, TrueTimber Arborists, and Väsen Brewing Company