About Us
WHAT WE DO
Get Outside is a nonprofit organization designed to promote a culture of outdoor recreation and healthy lifestyle in southern Utah. As an entity, our primary vision is for both youth and adults to engage in outdoor recreation in order to improve physical and mental health.
We challenge students to move out of their comfort zones and challenge their perceived abilities while creating opportunities to serve in their communities.
Breaking Barriers
Lack of Funding
Lack of Education

Our Mission
We allow youth and families to overcome these barriers, and we have established Get Outside Clubs in each high school in Washington and Iron County. Each club is run by students under the direction of a faculty or staff adviser.
These clubs will provide networking and opportunities for youth to engage outside. We will also provide education and training through clinics for various outdoor recreation activities ensuring that these youth can engage in outdoor recreation safely.
We are actively engaged in helping students overcome financial barriers by looking for sources of outdoor equipment and arranging for means of connecting these sources with the Get Outside Clubs. We are also searching for donors to help offset the financial barriers that block many low-income youth from participating in outdoor recreation.


Our Team

Matthew Mizukawa
Founder and President
Dr. Mizukawa was born in San Antonio, Texas, raised in Fort Washington, Maryland, but finished high school in Saint George, Utah. He is proud to call southern Utah home. After serving a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Fukuoka, Japan, he attended Brigham Young University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Neuroscience, after which he received a Doctorate of Dental Medicine from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He then completed a residency at Vanderbilt University in 2011 and eventually returned to Saint George to join Dixie Oral Maxillofacial and Implant Surgery, where he is currently a partner.
Dr. Mizukawa has felt the positive influence of the outdoors on physical and mental health in his own life, and has seen the influence on youth. It was this observation, along with a deep concern for the well-being of future generations that motivated him to start Get Outside and take action against sedentary lifestyles. Dr. and Mrs. Mizukawa have six children now. They enjoy spending as much time as possible in the outdoors, whether in the mountains, on the lake, or in the beautiful canyons of southern Utah. Some of their fondest family memories involve the outdoors, including rock climbing, camping, biking, boating, and hiking throughout the country.

John R Taylor
BOARD MEMBER
John is heavily involved in biological research at Southern Utah University, and equally active in science education throughout the state of Utah. He currently serves as the Assistant Dean of Integrative Learning at SUU, is the President of the Utah Teachers Association, and a board member of the Zion National Park Forever Project. (The official non-profit partner of Zion National Park)
John is the parent of three boys and an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys mountain biking, hiking, skiing, and other life sports.