Capitalizing on three years of promoting community outdoor activities, Come Alive Outside transitions from an initiative to a non-profit organization.

The Come Alive Outside initiative, which was started by Jim Paluch, president of JP Horizons, in 2011 as a way to encourage professional landscape companies to help facilitate their communities' systems that create the awareness of the health benefits that outdoor activities provide, and opportunities to take part in those activities, recently spawned a non-profit organization.

"The current scale of activity and engagement from individuals and organizations participating in Come Alive Outside programs has reached a level where it became clear that it was time to found an organization with its own governance and staff to continue to support and grow the movement," says Andy Paluch, executive director of Come Alive Outside and former network coordinator of the initiative for JP Horizons.

Over the past three years, more than 10,000 people across North America have participated in Come Alive Outside events and programs. On November 1, the new organization held its initial board meeting, defining the strategic plan of the organization as it builds on the momentum of the initiative.

"When I first heard about Come Alive Outside and its mission, it made me reevaluate our business and how we could contribute to the movement," says Daniel Currin, president of Greenscape, Inc., who was elected board president of the non-profit. "Researchers are identifying so many health benefits from spending time outdoors, and Americans are just starting to hear the message. I'm pleased to support Come Alive Outside as we work to get the message out
to the community."

Part of Come Alive Outside's mission is to inspire people to become active outdoors, eat what they grow, learn with their hands in the dirt, relax outdoors and play unplugged. The programs that it creates work towards a vision of individuals, families and communities enjoying the outdoor spaces where they live, work and play.

Programs include the Come Alive Outside Design Challenge, which creates the opportunity for college, high school, elementary and pre-school students to work together with landscape professionals to design and build engaging outdoor learning environments at schools and childcare facilities. Students from ten colleges and universities across North America are currently participating in the program, which is being operated in the U.S.in partnership with JP Horizons and the support of The Davey Tree Expert Company, and in Canada in partnership with Landscape Ontario and the support of The Grounds Guys, LS Training System, Compass Creative and the Ontario Horticultural
Trades Foundation.

Jim Paluch will continue to serve the organization and offer his expertise as the chair of the advisory board, supporting the nine members of the Board of Directors.

"There has never been a better or more important time for all of us to work together to get people off the couch and back outside," he states.

The board of directors are:

President:
Daniel Currin
(President, Greenscape Inc.)

Vice President:
Scott Wentworth
(President, Wentworth Landscapes)

Secretary:
Dwayne Ulrichs
(Director of sales and business development, Lurvey Landscape Supply)

Treasurer:
Dave Heckel
(Owner, Padgett Business Services)

Michael Albert
(Director of grants development, Right to Play)

Rick Geise
(Director of marketing & Nature Safe Brand Mgr.)

Dr. Reese Nelson
(Professor of horticulture, BYU-Idaho)

Sid Raisch
(CEO, Advantage Development Systems-Horticultural Advantage)

Christy Webber
(President, Christy Webber Landscapes)