By Dan Minnich | Co-Founder and Executive Director
This year marks Waypoint’s 15th year since our founding. We started this journey with a shared vision- to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to the joys, challenges, and learning that outdoor adventure uniquely provides. Waypoint is about “freeing what’s possible” for people of all ages with any type of disability. We are about building community, empowerment, and learning.
Over the years, we have seen firsthand how people with disabilities can be unfairly and unnecessarily denied fundamental components of healthy living and personal growth. Our work has proven the transformative power of nature, the personal empowerment that comes from challenge and risk, the enduring resilience of the human spirit, and the strength of community. We passionately believe that these moments of “I can!” have the power to become a cornerstone of achievement throughout a person’s life. This has only been possible with the support of our incredible partners: donors, sponsors, and volunteers. Your belief in our mission has allowed us to break barriers and create lasting opportunities for diversity, accessibility and inclusion in our world.
Our 15th anniversary milestone has given us a moment of grateful reflection and renewed exhilaration for what will come next. Waypoint has grown from two co-founders sharing a family minivan in 2010 to an organization with 18 employees serving 2,300 participants annually across 340 program experiences in New England and Western North Carolina. We have served over 18,600 participants since 2010.
With your support, we can continue to pave the way for adventure, independence, good health and equal opportunities for people with all levels of ability.
If you will be in the area on June 17th, 2025, we will be throwing a 15th Anniversary Bash at American Flatbread in Somerville, MA. We’re going back to where it all began; Waypoint’s very first fundraiser in 2010 was held at American Flatbread in Somerville. We would love to see you there: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/waypoadventu/event/americanflatbread/.
Also, we were recently profiled on a local news magazine called Chronical. Please check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApXZdPrqoTY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8NxmkshBT0.
Finally, we were thrilled to host Travis and Patch Saunders this summer as they made thier way through the United States researching ways to improve services and inclusion in the outdoors for people with autism. You can find thier study here; Waypoint is featured in pages 42-67: https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/travis-saunders-sa-2023/.
As always, if you find yourself in Eastern Massachusetts or Western North Carolina, please come join us for an adventure!
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By Dan Minnich | Co-Founder and Executive Director
By Dan Minnich | Co-Founder and Executive Director
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