GO Awards

Learn About the Awards |  Submit a Nomination

ABOUT THE GO AWARDS

Great Outdoors California, Inc. presents awards at our All-Chapter Conference in October annually. These awards include three (3) corporate-level awards and the Volunteer of the Year Award for each chapter. Awards have been an integral part of Great Outdoors programming since the first ‘official’ Annual Conference was held in Palm Springs of 1981 when the organization was incorporated.

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Annual Conference (Paul Breton), GO! Magazine, Issue 6 (1981)

Establishing our corporate awards

Under the leadership of Corporate Chair Dar Bjork, two (2) annual corporate awards were established in 1993: the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Mack Gerighty Leadership Award. Our leadership award was named after Wilderness Education founder Mack Gerighty for establishing the original Outdoors Experience Program manual and training courses.

These awards created the opportunity for members of Great Outdoors with significant impacts to be recognized for their meaningful contributions to the club. 

Volunteer and Ambassador awards

In 2006 the Volunteer of the Year Award was established as the third corporate award, but was later restructured as a chapter-level award in 2014 to further support a culture of recognition within our all volunteer run group. At the 2025 Annual Conference the inaugural Ambassador Award was presented to reinforce Great Outdoors’ commitment to creating inclusion and belonging through intentional new member outreach experiences and programming.

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Ambassador Awardee Bryan Matsumoto at BWCA (2025)

Fun Fact:

The inaugural Mack Gerighty and Lifetime Achievement Awardees were John Pearson and Don Smith, respectively. Dar would later be awarded the Mack Gerighty Award in 1995 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.

Awards at a Glance

• Annual corporate awards since 1993
• Volunteer of the Year (chapter-level)
• Ambassador Award introduced in 2025

Corporate-level Awards

These three awards recognize members whose contributions have had a lasting impact on Great Outdoors.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Honors members whose long-term service and leadership have shaped the direction and success of Great Outdoors.

Mack Gerighty Leadership Award

Recognizes outstanding leadership in outdoor education, trip leadership, and member development within our chapters.

Ambassador Award

Celebrates members who create inclusive, welcoming experiences for new and returning participants.

Volunteer of the Year

The Volunteer of the Year Award, established in 2006, recognizes exceptional chapter-level contributions. In 2014 it was restructured as a chapter-level award to deepen our culture of recognition across all Great Outdoors chapters.

Each chapter celebrates one Volunteer of the Year annually, highlighting the essential work of trip leaders, committee members, and behind-the-scenes volunteers.

Chapter volunteers at work

Submit a Nomination Today!

To submit an award nomination for the three (3) corporate awards - Lifetime Achievement, Mack Gerighty, and/or Ambassador Award - please submit the Nomination Form found within the Guidelines and Procedures.

Any criteria qualifying member of Great Outdoors can be nominated for an award by another member by July 1st of the current calendar year for consideration by the Awards Committee during the last regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting, typically in mid-July. Awards are presented at the Annual All Chapter Conference in October.

If you have any questions about the Awards process, please reach out to the Awards Chair via email at [email protected].

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GO’s All Chapter Quarterly, Dec-Mar (2006); Dixie Paradise Lifetime Achievement Awardee (2010)

Visit our list of past awardees here.