Growth is important to any business – and certainly to nonprofits.
I’m pleased to note that Outdoors for All is growing. We’re offering more activities and life-enriching experiences for children and adults with disabilities than ever before. But with that growth also come some growing pains.
Can we continue to fulfill current programming while we respond to new requests? Can we bring aboard new staff and new volunteers and help them to meet the high standards we hold in our adaptive recreation programs? Can we continue to secure sufficient funding necessary to support this growth?
Our amazing volunteers and team-focused staff members aim high as they work to deliver our various programs. They set high standards for the programs that we deliver and the outcomes that we seek. We aspire to meet the recreational needs of individuals with disabilities through our various programs – but we know that we don’t always meet our goals.
We’re working to respond to growing demand for the many beneficial programs that we offer. In so doing, we’re working to continue to fulfill current and past expectations while responding to new ones, too. That’s not always easy.
We’re now in the midst of our busiest ever spring schedule of activities and preparing for another record-setting summer schedule of programming, too. Here are some of the ways that we’re growing this year; we’re…
- Providing 50% more day camps than last year – yet even in doing so, we already have wait lists for many of our camps.
- Offering a new mix of programs for injured veterans thanks to grant funding from Wounded Warrior Project.
- Launched more Learn to Ride bikes classes – and yet still have wait lists for these classes.
- Increased training for staff and volunteers to help us deliver better programs.
- Doubled the number of weeks for our kayaking classes.
- Made various improvements to our Adaptive Cycling Center operations at Magnuson Park.
- And, expanded our Custom Events by 25%; these are activities which we hold in collaboration with other organizations, parks departments and schools.
Some key factors we rely on to help us manage this growth and keep our growing pains in check? Dedicated Staff. Amazing Volunteers. Numerous Donors.
We’re proud of the fact that each year, thousands of children and adults with disabilities exercise their abilities in the outdoors with us. With your support, we’ll continue to grow as an organization and be able to create better and more opportunities than ever before for these individuals.
Here’s to that!
