Community Events & Advocacy Initiatives

From concept to community impact, I’ve developed and hosted events that elevate voices, expand access to outdoor education, and bring people together around shared values in the outdoors.

These initiatives combine storytelling, partnerships, and community engagement to create spaces where people can learn, connect, and take action.

Note: The examples below highlight events created or co-hosted through Tarin It Up. This page does not include the many events I’ve managed through my work with outdoor brands and organizations.

Group of women sitting on chairs in a room, with one woman speaking into a microphone, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, while others listen. Artistic wall painting in the background.
A woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses on her head, holding a colorful patch of stickers with nature and adventure themes, standing in front of a gray wooden wall.
Two women smiling and holding up colorful campaign flyers promoting the protection of public lands and waters. There are multiple people in the background at an indoor event.
Person holding a flyer with black and white nature and wildlife illustrations, including mountains, a wolf, a bear, and a river, in front of a dark building exterior.

Protect & Connect For Public Lands & Waters

Role
Co-hosted and moderated a public lands advocacy panel in Truckee featuring nonprofit leaders and elected officials to discuss federal cutbacks and the future of public lands and waters.

Objective
Create a community space where local residents could better understand policy changes impacting public lands and learn how to engage with conservation and advocacy organizations.

Approach

  • Brought together leaders from Protect Our Winters, Outdoor Alliance, Mountain Area Preservation, and Truckee Town Council

  • Structured the event to blend education, storytelling, and community discussion

  • Created opportunities for attendees to connect directly with nonprofits and advocacy efforts

Outcome

  • Strong local turnout and audience engagement

  • Increased awareness of policy impacts on public lands and waters

  • Strengthened relationships between community members and regional advocacy organizations

Skills Demonstrated
Event strategy • Advocacy storytelling • Partnership development • Public speaking

A group of six smiling women posing together indoors. Behind them, there is a mounted reindeer head decorated with colorful Christmas lights. The women are dressed casually, and some are making playful expressions or gestures.
Two women smiling, holding glasses of beer, standing close together in a dining or bar setting. One woman is wearing a patterned cap and a dark hoodie, while the other is in a bright orange beanie and a striped shirt. Background includes other people, a deer head mounted on the wall, and large windows.

Tits Deep for Breast Cancer Film Screening

Role
Organized and promoted a community screening of the documentary Tits Deep for Breast Cancer as part of the Women Owning Winter (W.O.W.) event series, bringing together the local outdoor community to support breast cancer awareness and fundraising through storytelling and film.

Objective
Create an engaging community event that highlights the intersection of outdoor adventure and breast cancer advocacy while raising awareness and support for the cause.

Approach

  • Partnered with local 6+ outdoor businesses and community members to host the screening

  • Promoted the event through social media and local networks to reach the regional outdoor community

  • Designed the event to foster conversation and connection around both the film’s message and the broader mission

Outcome

  • Strong community turnout and engagement

  • Increased visibility for breast cancer advocacy within the local outdoor community

  • Brought together outdoor enthusiasts in support of a cause-driven storytelling initiative

  • Helped support fundraising for breast cancer advocacy initiative

Skills Demonstrated
Event curation • Cause-driven storytelling • Community outreach • Event promotion

Group of people gathered in a dark, modern restaurant or cafe, sitting at a long wooden table, watching a presentation projected on a screen.
A woman with pink hair, glasses, and a tan beanie, smiling and holding a colorful environmental poster in an outdoor parking lot.
A group of seven women standing close together indoors, smiling at the camera; they are dressed casually and appear to be friends.
A woman smiling while wearing a black jacket and large gloves with the words 'TITS DEEP.' She is in a dimly lit restaurant or bar, sitting at a wooden table with a printed sheet titled 'talk tits' and a raffle sign in front of her. There are people in the background and a television screen showing a football game.
A crowded indoor space with people sitting and standing, some wearing winter clothing like hats and jackets, in a modern setting with industrial-style lighting and decor.

Ladies Avalanche Awareness Night

Role:
Created and hosted an annual women-focused avalanche awareness event in Truckee, as part of the Women Owning Winter (W.O.W.) event series, designed to make snow safety education more accessible and welcoming to women entering the backcountry.

Strategy

  • Partner with a female avalanche educator to lead the discussion

  • Create a welcoming environment for participants of all experience levels

  • Collaborate with local gear shops and outdoor brands for community support

Execution

  • Educational talk on avalanche safety with emphasis on motorized travel

  • Community raffle benefiting Sierra Avalanche Center

  • Promotion through social media, email marketing, and local networks

Impact

  • 30+ engaged attendees

  • Increased awareness of avalanche safety resources for women

  • Strengthened collaboration between local brands and avalanche educators

Skills Demonstrated
Event strategy • Community marketing • Partnership development • Outdoor education outreach

Logo for Women Owning Winter event series, featuring a woman with a mountain background.
Group of people inside Sierra Avalanche Center viewing a presentation projected on a screen, with a bartender behind the bar, and beer taps in the foreground.

Bringing People Together Around Outdoor Stories

These events reflect my broader approach to community engagement: creating spaces where education, storytelling, and shared outdoor values intersect.

By combining partnerships, thoughtful programming, and community promotion, I focus on building experiences that inspire participation and strengthen connections to the outdoors.

Work With Me