FALL 2002
Other River Rat Newsletter Articles:
Local Business Gets Involved :: To Be a Young Friend, Or Not to Be :: The Mini Millstone

Local Business Gets Involved
By Brett Jones, Chairman of the Young Friends

Many of us who care about preserving open space dislike the large parking lots and giant buildings in shopping malls, but, as suburban sprawl continues, these things become unavoidable facts of life. Thankfully, some storeowners are giving back to the community by supporting groups like the Young Friends.

One such owner is Ed Camelli who runs Trail Creek Outfitters, an outdoor gear, clothing and accessories store in the Glen Eagle Shopping Center, not too far from Chadds Ford. Ed lives outside of Unionville, PA, and his property is surrounded by thousands of acres under conservation easement to the Brandywine Conservancy. He loves living in the country and believes in protecting natural and cultural resources so much that he has been a member of the Conservancy for more than a decade. His second career as a professional photographer actually grew out of his hobby of taking photographs in the Conservancy's Laurels Reserve. Many of the pictures the Conservancy uses for publicity and promotion were taken by Ed and donated to the Conservancy.

Two years ago, Ed organized an event at Trail Creek called TechFest. During the event, representatives from companies like Merrell, North Face and Patagonia unveiled the latest outdoor fashions and newest developments in waterproof attire and gear. Ed also invited the Young Friends to set up a table at the event, talk to shoppers about the Conservancy and recruit new members. To top it off, Ed pledged a percentage of the proceeds from the event as a donation to the Young Friends. Eight people joined the Conservancy and Trail Creek donated $500 as a result.

Steve Hinchliffe, the sales representative from Patagonia, was extremely impressed with the Young Friends and knew that his company would want to get more involved with the Young Friends programs. For many years, Patagonia has made donations to environmental groups around the world. Last year, the company donated over $1,750,000 to groups just like ours and gave $200,000 in product donations to groups for raffles and other fundraisers. As you can imagine, we were thrilled to catch Patagonia's attention.

This past spring, TechFest occurred on the same day as the Young Friends River Cleanup. Patagonia donated a fleece vest as a raffle prize at the Cleanup and a jacket as a drawing prize for anyone who signed up for membership at the Young Friends table at TechFest. If that wasn't enough, Patagonia made a $1,000 donation to the Conservancy. With Patagonia's donations, another $500 from Trail Creek, six new members, and several tons of trash pulled out of the Brandywine, April 27 was a very productive day for us.

Ed confessed that running Trail Creek is a bit of a "Catch 22" for him. As he noted, "I love the open countryside, but I need customers to keep my business afloat. Balancing progress and conservation is crucial. If we all try in our own small way, we can make it happen."


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