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OCCIDENTAL, CA — Sonoma Canopy Tours will present Camp South Africa (CSA) with a check for $1,000 at the zipline company’s Welcome Center. Both Sonoma Canopy Tours and CSA are owned and operated by the non-profit conference center, Alliance Redwoods Conference Grounds.

When Sonoma Canopy Tours opened in June 2010, the company wanted to ensure that their business would work toward benefiting others. At the same time, CSA Director, Mervyn Coetzee, was looking for a way to raise money for his cause: bettering the lives of impoverished and HIV-afflicted, South African youth. Thus, an idea was born—for every zipline tour booked, Sonoma Canopy Tours will donate $1 to provide at-risk youth with an outdoor adventure experience.

With the presentation of this check, Sonoma Canopy Tours will celebrate its 1,000th passenger, while also supporting the growth of in-need South African children. “It’s quite an accomplishment for us as a 3-month-old eco-tour center,” says Alliance Redwoods Business Director, Bruce Wohlert.

Specifically, the money will help fund CSA’s upcoming annual trip. Coetzee and a group of 22 volunteers will establish day camps for the children on a month-long visit to South Africa from mid-November to mid-December. “What these kids really need are role models,” Coetzee says. “People who care enough to give them something to look forward to.”

The children will take part in similar activities to those at an American summer camp, and will be provided with three meals each day. “That’s a big deal for these kids,” says Coetzee. “They’re used to not knowing where their next meal will come from.”

Alliance Redwoods and CSA are about one-third of the way toward their target goal of $75,000, but they expect to make significant headway at the Redwood Alliance Annual Dinner Banquet on Tuesday, October 19. The money will fund one month-long trip, providing day camps to approximately 6,000 South African children.

Anyone is welcome to donate toward the cause, either directly, or by booking a zipline tour. Visit http://www.allianceredwoods.com and http://www.sonomacanopytours.com for more information.