A Nonprofit Organization Committed to Making a Positive Contribution
The PAAK Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization registered in the state of Arizona. All our divisions promote values, personal growth, and raising consciousness. Included among individual current division offerings are outdoor skills for all ages, stone masonry, self reliance, natural healing, develop spiritual awareness, enjoy a spirit of community, and live healthfully.
History
On 24 Sept. 1968, the Arizona Corporation Commission filed the affidavit of publication (Arizona Weekly Gazette) of the articles of incorporation of the Pateman-Akin-Kachina PAK Foundation.
On 12 February 1970, the Internal Revenue Service determined that the PAK Foundation was exempt from Federal income tax as a nonprofit organization described in Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
On 24 April 2002, the Arizona Corporation Commission filed Articles of Amendment to our Articles of Incorporation, changing our name to the Pateman-Akin-Avery-Kachina (PAAK) Foundation.
The foundation’s origins date back to the post-WWII 1940s and a group of climbers who regularly ascended local mountains in the Phoenix city limits.
These activities expanded to teaching others to climb informally, then to classes, in turn leading to the formation of the PAK Foundation by Phoenix lawyer John "Azimuth" Goodson and two other incorporators, all community leaders.
"Challenge" became the first PAK division, teaching teens outdoor skills (e.g., hiking, climbing, spelunking, survival skills) "to combat student passivity and encourage responsibility through experiential education using the wilderness as its classroom."
Two other early divisions were Omega, which has since become an independent nonprofit, and the Reevis Mountain School.
John named the organization after his fellow climbers: Mr. Pateman, and Mr. Atkins, and, in 2002, added Ben Avery.
