Happiest of Birthdays to the WOC
When we launched the Winona Outdoor Collaborative in August of 2020, we couldn’t have known what laid in store for us.
As big dreamers, our ideas and vision for what the Collaborative could become felt far away, but attainable with time. We worked slowly and intentionally, hoping that by building a community around outdoor recreation, we could someday create an organization that people turned to to feel safe and connected when exploring in nature.
This summer marked our first season offering guided trips - a dream we didn’t expect to pursue so soon. It was a summer of growth, opportunity, connection, and so, so much more.
Through our two treks along the Superior Hiking Trail with Muddy Waters Yoga Studio, we learned so much about what it takes to create an experience for people that leaves them feeling empowered and capable.
We had the opportunity to watch two incredible groups of people push past their comfort zones and surprise themselves in big and small ways. Whether it was hiking large mile days with hundreds of feet of elevation gain, or using an outdoor latrine for the very first time in their lives, we are so incredibly proud of the ways in which our participants showed up, embraced the challenges, and grew both together and interpersonally.
On one of the nights of our August retreat, Sydney and I stood behind our participants watching them enjoy a sunset yoga session over beautiful Bear and Bean Lake. Turning to Sydney, I said something that I often forget to remind myself. “We did this.” She smiled at me, repeating it back in affirmation that the hard work, passion, and ambition being poured into this organization is indeed cultivating the vision we set forth to create back in 2020.
But it goes so far beyond just “we”. This organization, from the very start, has been advanced by the incredible support of a passionate group of people who truly believe in the importance of creating safe, welcoming spaces in nature.
From our Board of Directors to our strong team of volunteers; to each and every participants who has come to our programs; to all of our donors, community partners, and local businesses who gave financial support; and to all of those who stay engaged in our social media, helping to spread the word about our small organization. The Winona Outdoor Collaborative would not be what it is today without this entire community that stands behind it.
As we pass our first birthday this week, we want to extend the most genuine of thank yous to our community for all of the incredible support you’ve shown. Thank you to those who lent a hand as we worked to build something new. Thank you to those who trusted in us to introduce them to things that may have been new and unfamiliar. Thank you to those who advocated, promoted, and advanced the mission and vision of our organization. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We couldn’t do this without all of you.
The work doesn’t end here. We’ll continue to strive every day to achieve our mission of promoting inclusion and accessibility through community partnerships and educational programming directed at reducing barriers to outdoor recreation. We can’t wait to see what happens in year two, and we’re so grateful to have you all along for the ride.
In gratitude from the goofy WOC crew,
The Winona Outdoor Collaborative team
