Barbara Banks Vision Fund (BBVF) Raises $80,000
We are pleased to announce that in three months, the Barbara Banks Vision Fund raised more than $80,000 to support the work of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund. The fund was set up by Charles Altekruse, with Benjamin and Jeremy Banks-Altekruse, to honor the life of wife and mother Barbara Banks, a pillar of the adventure travel community whose untimely death of cancer in May 2020, came as a shock to all who knew and loved her.
More than 200 generous donors gave in amounts ranging from $25 to $10,000 through the GoFundMe platform or in direct donations to ATCF. The Banks-Altekruse personal network included friends and family, university affiliations, the Olympic circle (Charlie was a champion rower), and of course, Barbara’s adventure travel community. Among the many donors, Wilderness Travel—for whom Barbara worked for many years—gave $10,000.
“In her final years, Banks became a shooting star in this emerging “travel with purpose” niche,” says her husband, Charles Altekruse. “She championed local conservation projects wherever possible within the adventure travel industry.” Representing Wilderness Travel, Barbara became one of the first to sign on to membership with the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund when it was announced in 2016.
“Our family is grateful and humbled that so many friends, family, colleagues, and networks were moved to contribute to the Barbara Banks Vision Fund to benefit the nonprofit ATCF,” said Altekruse. “Few organizations are as well positioned to effect change through travel.” With an extensive network of local operators, ATCF advances its mission “to support, leverage and expand the travel community's environmental and cultural conservation efforts for maximum impact” by funding visionary grassroots conservation projects in adventure travel destinations.
While this phase of fundraising comes to a close, the BBVF will continue to support the ATCF and Barbara’s conservation vision. Please contact Charlie Altekruse at caltekruse@caconsult.org to collaborate.