First Descents

First Descents (FD) is a charitable non-profit organization headquartered in Denver, Colorado.^[4] Brad Ludden, a professional kayaker, founded First Descents in 2001.^[5]

First Descents

Founded	2001
Founder	Brad Ludden
Type	Nonprofit
Focus	Humanitarian[1]
Location	Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Area served	United States, Costa Rica, Peru, Vietnam, Patagonia, and Bali[2]
Product	Outdoor adventures for cancer fighters
Key people	Ryan O'Donoghue (Executive Director)
Revenue	$1,906,780 (2012)[3]
Employees	11–50[1]
Website	FirstDescents.org

Brad Ludden on the '4,000 islands' section of the Mekong river in Laos

First Descents has served around 10,000 young adult survivors at over 1,000 programs nationwide.^[6] First Descents has been recognized by CNN Heroes^[7] and Outside magazine's Best Places to Work.^[8]

History

When Brad Ludden was 12, and his 38-year-old aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer, he decided to volunteer at a local pediatric oncology program and teach kayaking.^[9] In 2001, he started First Descents.^[10]

In 2016, Ludden won the CNN Hero Award for his work with First Descents.^[7][11]

In 2020, First Descents expanded programming to serve healthcare professionals on the frontlines of COVID-19.^[12][9]

Programs

First Descents provides week-long and multi-day programs nationwide.^[9] The programs offer climbing, paddling, and surfing.^[13]

In 2011, First Descents offered 27 outdoor programs, and 283 people participated. In 2012, the number of outdoor programs grew to 45, and the number of participants was 515.^[3] In 2013, First Descents ran programs in 12 states and three countries.^[14]

Out Living It documentary

First Descents founder Brad Ludden approached filmmaker Michael Brown, a three-time Emmy Award winner, about directing a documentary about Ludden's adventures with cancer survivors.^[15] First Descents launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the documentary and raised $21,507.^[16]

Ludden and 14 other young adult cancer survivors spent a week together in the outdoors. Brown filmed the adventures and interviewed the participants.^[17] The film was released on April 14, 2012.^[18]