The Ultimate Race to Find Caches and Complete Challenges!

Can Your Team Complete All 12?

Formally known as Challenger’s Geocache Rally for 7 years, The Amazing Geo-Challenge On the Kenai, is the same exciting fundraiser competing bi-annually by Challenger Learning Center of Alaska, with even more community involvement and massive challenges bringing you all around Alaska’s playground!  
Thank you 2023 Pulsar Platinum Sponsors!

9th Amazing Geo-Challenge on the Kenai, October 15, 2023

 & Beyond the Moon Banquet Fundraiser, October 20, 2023

All Day Geocaching and STEM Challenges

Event Check-in 8:15 am-

Return by 3pm

Win Prizes

T-shirts & Lunch

Entry into the Banquet

Banquet

Celebrate Alaskans in NASA

Silent Auction, Prizes, Raffles

Grand Reveal-Facility Tour

Games, Dinner & Drinks

Local NASA Guest Speakers

WHAT

The Amazing Geo-Challenge On the Kenai

 is an exciting way to get outside and join an adventure with a team of coworkers, employees friends, and family!  It is an all-hands-on, real-world treasure hunt. A GeoCache meets The Amazing Race, created and run by Challenger Learning Center of Alaska. Teams travel up and down the great Kenai Peninsula, locating geocaches via GPS coordinates and solving STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) challenges in a fun and friendly competition.  Great for beginners or experienced cachers but it can be quite challenging in a time crunch! 

WHY

Challenger’s bi-annual action-packed geo event is a fun and casual way to support a serious and important mission, educating our youth. CLCA serves communities, homeschoolers, and schools statewide with onsite, virtual, traveling, and outreach educational opportunities in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines.  Their vision is to strengthen workforce development by delivering exploratory, hands-on, relevant programs to Alaskans and inspire students to pursue higher education and careers within STEM fields. Teachers find Challenger’s methods and connection to NASA essential to our community. Teachers and Parents say they continue to utilize Challenger’s on-site, virtual, and traveling programs because they witness the instant change in their students once they participate in a Challenger program. Students are eager to learn, research, and ask questions. They are so busy having fun, students do not realize they are learning and gaining confidence in their academic abilities. This approach to education is exceptionally important because of the learning gap and decrease in educational retention among students rising throughout schools across the nation. At the same time, career fields are getting more competitive, and STEM-based jobs are on the rise as technology quickly advances. CLCA’s programs cover many STEM disciplines, such as robotics, coding, drones and aeronautics, rocketry, food security, survival training, space sciences, thermal engineering, criminal science investigation, astronomy, etc. These studies lay the foundation for youth’s interest and skills, showing real career pathways to pursue.

Community is important to Challenger, as it is the core part of our mission and how they can continue to deliver education through sponsorships. Throughout the Amazing Geo-Challenge, teams will visit a variety of local businesses and organizations around the Kenai to find their cache and complete STEM challenges. On your journey please take note of what these local businesses offer, feel free to pause and buy something small and revisit them again.

Proceeds

Money raised through the Amazing Geo-Challenge will go directly toward Challenger’s education programs.

As a stand-alone facility, CLCA relies on fundraisers, earned revenue, grants, and generous supporters to continue launching its mission throughout the state.  Your contributions will allow Challenger’s influential youth programs to continue. 

Partners

Thank you to our generous Sponsors who make it possible for us to do this event!
Pulsar Platinum Sponsors: ConocoPhillips
Galactic Gold SponsorsMarathon Petroleum
Borealis Bronze Sponsors: Enstar
Community Sponsors:  Soldotna Dental, Northrim Bank                           
 
Detailed information is below. If you have additional questions please contact
colette.gilmour@akchallenger.org (907)283-2000

Team Registration

Compete against other businesses, multiple teams within your business, or with your friends and family! It’s a race to find all the geocaches and complete all the STEM Challenges and win prizes!

$500/Team of 4

As a team in the Amazing Geo-Challenge on the Kenai, You get the mother load!

  • A full day of geocaching and challenge activities
  • Event T-shirts
  • Breakfast Treats & Coffee
  • Lunch
  • Entry into the Beyond the Moon Banquet
  • Dinner
  • Prizes, games, facility tour, silent auction, wall of guns, cash bar

For business advertising opportunities and event perks, contact us to be a Sponsor!

To Sign up:
1) Fill out the table below to submit team information or print and email a Form 
2) Purchase your Team ONLINE HERE or by calling 907-283-2000, or email colette.gilmour@akchallenger.org if you need an invoice.
Geo-Challenge Team Registration

Challenger’s 9th Annual Amazing Geo-Challenge on the Kenai Event Day Details

Timeline

Check-in: Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 @ 8:15am, Challenger Learning Center of Alaska, 9711 Kenai Spur Highway, Kenai AK 99611
Coffee and light breakfast treats, Pick up Team T-Shirts & Provided To-Go Lunch
Rules Briefing
Race starts: 9:00 am
3:00 pm Deadline for teams to arrive back at Challenger Center, to turn in worksheets. Check-in with Colette Gilmour
Banquet on Oct 20, 6:00 pm

Race Rules:

There will be a total of 12 caches, a mixture of traditional caches, and caches with challenges to solve along the way. You may even run into a roadblock or detour challenge! Follow the applicable challenge directions; we ask you to bring something back or take video/photo as proof your team has completed the challenge. For the banquet slide show please send any pictures and/or videos you take along the way to, colette.gilmour@akchallenger.org or message/tag on Facebook @CLCAlaksa, Instagram @akclca 

  1. Leave cache exactly as you found it for the next cachers
  2. If you take something from the cache, you must replace it with something of equal or greater value.
  3. All local laws apply
  4. Geocaches are never buried
  5. Obtain the landowner’s permission before hiding/finding caches
  6. Geocaches are not placed in restricted, prohibited, or otherwise inappropriate locations
  7. Physical elements of different caches should be at least .10 mile apart
  8. Geocaches are allowed in space, other planets, and spacecrafts

Be a Sponsor for the most educational and interactive event on the Kenai!

An Amazing Geo-Challenge sponsor means supporting youth education from the central peninsula area to all communities around Alaska. This two event fundraiser (geocache race and banquet) raises money and awareness for S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, and math) education through Challenger Learning Center of Alaska’s hands-on learning programs and the Kenai Chamber’s scholarship fund.

The Amazing Geo-Challenge on the Kenai is also about community and partnership. Challenger, as a non-profit, values the importance of community support. We recognize many businesses are struggling during these trying times which is why we want to foster positive relations and provide initiatives to promote our sponsors and local businesses. Besides providing the marketing benefits, a geo-challenge team, and tickets to the banquet mentioned at each sponsorship level, we want to ask how else we can help you. What can we do to most benefit you in being a sponsor?

If you can’t be a sponsor this year, there are other ways to participate. Signing your employees up as a team is a great way for team building and comic relief! We are also looking for in-kind donations as prizes and silent auction items at the evening banquet. This would be perfect to showcase your products and services!

Sponsorship Levels

Pulsar Platinum Sponsor – $10,000      

  • Company distinguished as Event Sponsor on all forms of publicity including adv. materialssocial media, and website. 
  • Banner on Challenger website linking to your company website. 
  • Company provided banner placed in predominate location during event. 
  • Company name printed on Geocache T-shirts. 
  • Geocache and banquet team entry for up to four. 

Galactic Gold Sponsors – $5,000 

  • Company distinguished as Sponsor on all forms of publicity including adv. materials, social media, and website. 
  • Logo on Challenger website linking to your company website. 
  • Company name printed on Geocache T-shirts. 
  • Geocache and banquet team entry for up to four. 

Solar Silver Sponsor – $3,000 

  • Company distinguished as Sponsor on all forms of publicity includingadv. materials, social media, and website. 
  • Company name printed on Geocache T-shirts.
  • Geocache and banquet team entry for up to four. 

Borealis Bronze Sponsor – $2,500                

  • Company distinguished as Sponsor on all forms of publicity including, adv. materials, social media, and website. 
  • Geocache and banquet team entry for up to four. 

Quasar Quartz Sponsors – $1,000 

  • Company distinguished as Sponsor on all printed forms of publicity. 
  • Geocache and banquet team entry for up to four. 

 Community Sponsor- $500 

  • I’d like to donate to NOT attend the event, just because we support CLCA! 
  • Company distinguished as a sponsor on all forms of media including social media and website. 
We appreciate your support and contribution! 
Print and fax or email a Form or fill out the table below
Geo-Challenge Sponsorship Request

Local Businesses YOU can host as a cache & challenge site!

Local support, community, and partnership are important to Challenger Learning Center of Alaska. For our education fundraiser this year, The Amazing Geo-Challenge on the Kenai, we want to incorporate more local aspects into the race. We are looking for local businesses to host a location, which will bring people to your door and give your valued service extra exposure. If you do not have a customer-friendly building, we can also assign you a park location to set up!

The Amazing Geo-Challenge is to raise awareness and money for educational S.T.E.M (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs Challenger provides for students, teachers, and homeschoolers across the state, as well as raise money for the Kenai Chamber’s scholarship program. Our vision is to strengthen workforce development by delivering stimulating, real-world activities to Alaskans and inspire students to pursue higher education and careers within a growing and competitive S.T.E.M. fields.

Challenger, as a non-profit, recognizes many businesses are struggling during these trying times and we want to foster positive relations and provide initiatives to promote our sponsors and local businesses. We want to ask how else we can help you. What can we do to most benefit you in being a geo-challenge location host? There are a limited number of designated sites to be assigned and selected sites need to be appropriately spaced out along the race area with enough space at the location for multiple people, cache hiding, and activities. All you need to do is fill out the form below, place a bid amount of how much you’d like to donate for this event opportunity, and we will call to let you know if you have one of the top 8 location bids.

Besides bringing the event participants to your business and taking part in an exciting day, as a thank you, you and a plus one will receive entry to the Mad Science Banquet in the evening. It will be a “scientifically mad” good time, with dinner, science demonstrations, games, science experiments, silent auction, drinks, and prizes!

We hope you can join us! Your contributions will allow Challenger to continue delivering affordable, innovative programs and inspire the workforce of tomorrow. If you can’t be a host this year, there are other ways to participate. Signing your employees up as a team is a great way for team building and comic relief! We are also looking for in-kind donations as prizes and silent auction items. This would be perfect to showcase your products and services!

Regular admission for the Geo-Challenge is $500 for a team of 4, includes a full day of geo activities, lunch, t-shirt, prizes, entry into the banquet, and dinner. Separate tickets for just the banquet fundraiser are $75/each.

(Shhh) Remember…If you are requesting to become a designated location make sure to keep it secret!

Geo-Challenge Host a Location Form

Beyond the Moon Banquet: 

October 20, 2023 at 6pm 
Purchase Tickets Online

or call 907-283-2000
For an invoice email colette.gilmour@akchallenger.org

Open to the public
Included in Geo-Challenge admission or $75/ticket, $500/table of 8

You do not have to participate in the GeoChallenge to come to the Banquet!

Come celebrate under the moon and stars to raise money and support youth STEM education.

There will be chances to win prizes, a silent auction, dinner, a no-host bar, Alaska Airlines Tickets, games, new facility tour, raffles, and wall of guns!

It will be the first official ‘Grand Reveal’ to the public since Challenger has upgraded their Mission Simulator Rooms and remodeled the building. Be involved in an exciting night reminiscing through twenty-three years of Challenger and how local Alaskans have impacted the NASA workforce.

Proceeds go directly to Challenger Learning Center’s education programs.

Must buy tickets in advance. (If your team participated in the geo-challenge event, you receive free admission to the banquet!)

What is S.T.E.M?

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. STEM curriculum blends these subjects in order to teach 21st-century skills or tools students need to have to succeed in the workplace of the “future.” This can include being able to solve problems, find and use evidence, collaborate on projects, and think critically.
Learn more at http://www.ed.gov/stem

What is a Geocache?

A geocache is an item, typically a container holding a number of other items, that has been hidden at a location whose coordinates have been posted on the internet. This is a game in which players are given the geographical coordinates of the cache which they search for with a GPS device.
Learn more at http://www.geocaching.com