Scholarships: Invest in Someone’s Life

Keeping our program financially accessible to everyone is a high priority. More than half of the people WI serves come from disadvantaged backgrounds and require financial aid. Scholarships in Action: Laura and Her Kids A single parent, “Laura” suffers from mental illness and from years of abuse from her former husband.  Her children have learning and behavior disorders.  After her daughter participated in a free, introductory canoe event provided by WI for an inner-city school, Laura and her two children signed up for a Winter Family Weekend. It would be the first time she and her kids ever took an overnight trip away from home… [+ click for more] WI charges a program fee of $230 per adult and $115 per child 16 and younger for these 3-day experiences. Laura and her family would not have been able to participate without direct financial assistance and the resources provided WI. In addition to providing a 90% reduction in program fees, WI also supplied winter clothing, boots, sleeping bags and other gear Laura's family needed to successfully participate. On the last day of the trip, the kids were beaming with pride after learning how to cross-country ski. Laura’s son had formed a special bond with a young man who has a spinal cord injury after the two of them had teamed up for dogsledding. The day after they returned from their trip, Laura called to sign up for another trip.

Support Services: Tools for People to Help Themselves

WI provides a variety of support services to allow full participation by people with disabilities, including adaptive equipment, personal care attendants, and sign language interpreters  Support Services in Action: Klaes Family A middle-class family, the Klaes could afford the fees for their trip, but they could not have afforded the extra supports their family needed to participate. Their family includes Kyle, 12, and twins Mark and William, 10. William has spastic quadriparesis cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder and recently had an intrathecal baclofen pump inserted to reduce his spasticity. The apprehension about traveling with a medically fragile child was a focal point for the Klaes family. [+ click for more] WI provided adapted canoe seating as well as a personal care attendant (PCA) to help provide the special care William needed. Because of these supports, William was quickly integrated into the group and his parents were able to devote more time to Kyle and Mark. For the first time in his life, William camped, swam and explored—alongside with his siblings and other children. The PCA was a volunteer, but WI dedicates a staff position to recruiting, evaluating and training hundreds of persons for this role each year. Also, WI worked extensively with the Klaes prior to the trip to make sure William’s medical needs could be met. If the Klaes family had to pay for the services and the trip fee for their PCA, as well as the cost of the medical assessment, it would have put the cost of the experience beyond their reach.

Staff Development: People Who Make the Mission a Reality

WI staff are highly skilled and compassionate leaders who receive extensive training. Trail staff are required to maintain current certifications in Advanced Life Saving, Wilderness First Aid, and CPR. They participate in a rigorous training and mentoring period that typically lasts one to two years. An extensive staff training session is conducted twice a year, and numerous seminars on leadership issues, disability issues, wilderness skills and natural history are held throughout the year. Staff Development in Action: “I share my gratitude to each of you for a sensational WI training weekend of fun and work. I felt a keen sense of inclusion and emotional safety the whole while; an experience which is rare to come by for many of us. WI invites everyone into the effort to transform the way we live on the planet inclusively. Greg Lais and your other staff powerfully model that ideal. They make it real.”