A Repair Program Recycles Outdoor Gear and Trains Cortez Youth

As the outdoor industry grows, functional gear increasingly ends up in landfills when it could be repaired. At the same time, without a family and consumer science class at Montezuma-Cortez High School, Cortez students have few opportunities to learn valuable skills like sewing and equipment repair. One Cortez resident and the founder of Full Circle Expeditions Inc. saw an opportunity to address both problems with a single solution: a free sewing and repair training program. To get the project up and running, he reached out to LOR for support. LOR’s funding will help Full Circle Expeditions purchase commercial sewing machines, a heat press, and create a workspace where young people can learn to repair outdoor equipment donated by companies like Osprey and Nemo. The program will partner with local schools to offer students hands-on training while diverting equipment from landfills and producing repaired gear that can be donated to local organizations for those in need.