As I noted in a blog posting this spring, the Outdoors for All Foundation Board has been meeting to update our Strategic Plan. During these planning meetings and discussions, a key decision was affirmed:

Outdoors for All will be an adaptive and therapeutic recreation provider for children and adults with disabilities dedicated to being both Collaboration: We go to you   and  Destination: You come to us

So, what do we mean by “Collaboration” vs  “Destination”  And what’s this decision’s impact on the organization and our connections in the community?

I’m glad you asked! Here’s what we mean …

“Collaboration: We go to you” – Collaboration really is in our DNA. It’s how we started back in 1979 by working with The Summit at Snoqualmie ski area to bring Alpine skiing to individuals with disabilities. Our collaboration strategy continues today for us, too. It’s especially evident when we work in partnership with a school, parks program or hospital and go and deliver adaptive or therapeutic recreation for individuals with disabilities with these groups in their communities. A popular way for us to do this is through our Custom Events program.

Monisha Handcycle

 

 

 

 

 


“Destination: You come to us”
– This is where customers with disabilities come to us to access recreation in activities such as skiing programs at The Summit & Stevens Pass; plus various programs we deliver from our existing headquarters location at Magnuson Park — such as Seattle day camps, kayaking on Lake WA, rock climbing at The Mountaineers, Cycling Base Camps and Adaptive Cycling Center assessments, lessons & rentals.

Nordic Fun

 

 

 

 

 

 

This hybrid model of being both “Collaboration and Destination” is unusual nationally, let alone regionally. , Some adaptive recreation providers practice a destination model and are ski-resort based. Some dominantly deliver through one avenue and then also deliver a smattering of some programs via the other avenue, but usually many fewer programs. Very few organizations, though, try to do both in the hybrid balanced way that we seek to.

It may seem like a simple choice to affirm a strategy to do both, but we believe that this strategic decision will govern many of our plans, priorities and operations for years to come.

So, with your support, we’ll keep offering programs where we collaborate with groups that you are already active with and come to you — and destination-based activities from our base camps, where you can have fun and exercise your abilities outdoors by coming to us.

 

Sincerely,

Ed Bronsdon
Executive Director