Max’s Story of Courage and Growth

August 17, 2022/in Achievements, Kayaking, Past Programs, Schools, Support, Uncategorized

Max came kayaking with Waypoint for the first time in summer of 2018 with Newton Public Schools. During his first kayaking program, he felt nervous and stressed and did not want to go out on the water. Along with Max’s teacher, our staff encouraged him to try sitting in the boat on land to start. Over the next hour, Max slowly built up to being able to sit in the boat on land for one minute at a time, starting with 10 seconds, then increasing intervals. He never entered the water or held a paddle.

Each summer, Waypoint selects a goal to focus on across all kayaking programs. In 2018, it was the summer of courage. We celebrated Max’s courage to try kayaking, even though he never got out on the water.

Four years later, Newton Public Schools came kayaking again. Waypoint staff met with Max’s teacher ahead of the program and identified our goal for Max’s next kayaking experience: to have him sit in a boat, on the water, for a few minutes at a time.

On the day of the program, we met the group at Walden Pond and discussed our goal for summer of 2022: growth. When it was time to get into boats, Max blew everyone away. He calmly got into the boat, listened to a demonstration on how to paddle, and headed out on the water with the rest of the group, paddling with his boat partner as they enjoyed the sunshine and crystal clear water of the pond. We later received an email from Max’s family that read, “Max had such a great time and keeps talking about how he wants to go back to the ‘little boat’! YOU MADE OUR SUMMER!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!”

At Waypoint, we believe challenge leads to growth. We also believe in challenge by choice, meaning each individual gets to decide how they would like to challenge themselves. Max started with small steps, and through slow exposure, experienced huge success on his own terms. What started with courage, ended with growth. Max is already signed up for more kayaking this summer, and we can’t wait to see all the ways he continues to grow!

Private Lessons Summer 2020

September 25, 2020/in Hiking, Kayaking, Open Enrollment, Past Programs, Uncategorized

It’s been a wild summer! Covid-times are hard times for sure, but the silver lining for us at Waypoint has been these private lessons! Check out pictures and some cool things we’ve noticed!

Participants are progressing in skills! We’ve been able to focus more on teaching directly to a participant’s skill set and learning style. On one kayaking lesson, we spent over 40 minutes with a participant near the shore breaking down the steps of kayaking very carefully and methodically – adding color cues to her paddle, arrows on white boards, writing out steps, and wading into the water next to her boat to practice the feeling of paddling. We just wouldn’t be able to devote that level of instruction in a group setting!
We’re developing closer relationships with our participants and their families. There’s a lot to chat about on a 90-minute lesson! We’ve seen fresh sides to personalities in a new one-to-one atmosphere and have learned so much about each person who has come out!
More people than ever are signing up that have never been on a Waypoint program! We’re getting calls and emails from all over the Boston area from people who’s school or program is closed and they are looking for something outdoors to do. People who have been on our mailing list for years and just never got around to signing up are doing so. And we think, partly, it’s desperate times, but for some people, they just thrive in a private-lesson setting as opposed to a group one.
We’ve been forced into trying new sites when parks were closed and they’ve turned out to be awesome for us! Some of our new favorites are paddling on the Concord River from Lowell Street in Concord, MA, the Ice House Landing parking lot in Maynard, MA which has access to the Assabet River and a great rail trail for biking, and we’ve used more than usual our favorite Cambridge kayaking spot, Magazine Beach!

IAC Backpacking 2019

October 8, 2019/in Backpacking, Hiking, Latest News, Open Enrollment, Past Programs, Volunteer

Our annual Inclusive Adventure Club (IAC) backpacking trip was one of the best IAC programs to date. Our vision for this club is that all people regardless of ability have the opportunity to share in the costs and rewards of the experience. We recognize that the thrill of backpacking can be even more rewarding when done alongside a diverse community! So…

On September 21st, 15 adults and their packs filled with food, sleeping bags, tents, and the like, journeyed up to the White Mountains for a beautiful weekend of fall backpacking. The specific destination: Franconia Brook Campsite. S’more-making; star-gazing; bowl-licking; weird wraps (peanut butter, cheese, pepperoni, hummus, and Doritos); and games around the fire were just some of the many highlights that made for a magical trip.

Several people by the end of the weekend said that this trip made their year. It is rare when a large, new group of people can come together and work so effortlessly. Genuine adventure allows that to happen!

If you are interested in backpacking or in other inclusive adventure club adventures, please check out our IAC 2019 Flyer and sign up!

The photos speak for themselves:

It’s A Wrap! Somerville 2019

June 12, 2019/in Hiking, Kayaking, Past Programs, Rock Climbing, Ropes Course, Schools, Series

24 Programs! Our biggest partnership ever! What an awesome year it has been with the thriving Special Education Department of Somerville Public Schools. Thanks to a Cummings Foundation grant the Somerville SPED Department received and the tireless efforts of Wellness Coordinator and friend, Caitlin Kelly, Waypoint was BACK in Somerville for the 2018-2019 school year designing and facilitating quality adventure-education programs for 19 different classes across the district. Social-Emotional Learning was happening on these programs: students immersed in problem solving scenarios, supported by the process of learning and community, and given the right to take on challenging experiences and we saw it in action – the perfect recipe for character building come to life.

These programs were not just work for us. The buy-in from teachers and administrators made this series a joy to facilitate. We even had volunteers come out on one program and come back again and again and again because of how much fun they had just being a part of these days! Shoutout to Jim Bradley, Sylvana Weinstein, and some awesome repeat groups from Definitive Cares and The Shady Hill School. This community is vibrant and excelling because of your support!

You HAVE to peruse some of the pictures below. It felt like a family photo album putting these together and laughing about ridiculous things that happened on programs and awesome students, teachers, and volunteers we met along the way. Here are some snapshots from all of the programs we ran with Somerville during 2018-2019:

10/25/18 Ropes Course at Hale Reservation

11/14/18 Hike in the Middlesex Fells

12/19/18 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

1/9/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

1/11/19 Hike at Prospect Hill in Waltham

1/15/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

1/23/19 Hike at Ward Reservation in Andover

1/30/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

2/5/19 Hike at Ward Reservation in Andover

2/13/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

2/27/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

3/19/19 Hike at Harold Parker State Forest in Andover

3/27/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

3/28/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

4/2/19 Outdoor Rock Climbing at Hammond Pond in Newton

4/10/19 Hike at Breakheart Reservation in Wakefield

4/24/19 Hike at Lynn Woods in Lynn

5/1/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

5/15/19 Hike at Lynn Woods in Lynn

5/16/19 Hike at Prospect Hill in Waltham

5/23/19 Outdoor Rock Climbing at Hammond Pond in Newton

5/24/19 Hike at Breakheart Reservation in Wakefield

5/29/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

6/5/19 Kayaking on the Charles River in Allston

We can’t thank our site partners from Central Rock Gym, Paddle Boston – Charles River Canoe and Kayak, Kennedy School Pool, and Massachusetts DCR enough for supporting this programming. THANK YOU!

And THANK YOU to all the students for participating, and the teachers and administrators that helped coordinate transportation, get forms filled out, opened the pool, and made sure adventure programming fit seamlessly into your curriculum. We believe it’s so important and it’s encouraging to see others agree. Looking forward to next year!

Best Buddies; A Series Built on Trust and Accomplishment

February 27, 2019/in Past Programs, Rock Climbing, Series, Volunteer

We see it all the time, but it never gets old: Participants and their communities surprised at what they can achieve when they accept a challenge and are given support through that challenge.

Thulasi arrived for our climbing program with Best Buddies fully expecting to just watch. Her goals were social – she would just hang out with her friends from Cotting School, her new “Buddies” from Meadowbrook School, and watch others climb. But after engaging in the group activities and feeling support from her friends the option was presented to her and she changed her mind. Girded by the support of classmates and friends, Thulasi climbed to the very top!

Thulasi’s dad choked up in our closing circle. He said “I am constantly surprised by my daughter. I never thought she would climb! But seeing her at the top was a great reminder of what she is capable of.” Thulasi pushing her limits on the rock wall changed things for her dad that day. Thulasi’s confidence certainly grew, but so did the understanding of those that love and support her.

Waypoint Adventure and Best Buddies (an organization spanning 123 different cities and 14 different countries) are teaming up in 2019 for a 3-program-series designed to provide “Buddy” pairs experiences in trust building and real life challenges. Relationships that go deep are founded on trust and vulnerability and what better way to make new friends than on a challenging adventure where support is vital! Middle School pairs of students from Meadowbrook School and Cotting School were the first in this 3-program series and the kick-off was a resounding success!

We’re thrilled to be working with students like Thulasi and organizations like Best Buddies for the opportunity to break down misconceptions of abilities and barriers to access so all can experience powerful transformation!

Thank you again as always to Central Rock Gym for the space to learn and grow!

Opening A World of Opportunity

December 10, 2018/in Annnouncements, Fundraisers, Hiking, Latest News, Past Programs, Support, Uncategorized

Adventure, challenge, community and FAMILY are all possible because of YOU!

In early September 2018, Waypoint received a call from a woman in Connecticut who said that their family use to love hiking but as their son grew he became too big to carry and his disabilities made it impossible for him to go along. It was her birthday and when her husband asked what she’d like to do for her birthday, it sparked a memory. She’d visited our website over a year ago and saw a wheelchair that she thought would be a good fit for her son and she wanted to go hiking… with her whole family!

When we learned that they lived in Connecticut, we told her we were going to be there the next day to run a kayaking program and that we’d be happy to bring the chair along for them to use. She immediately got emotional and gratefully said they’d be there at 8:00 sharp!

When they arrived, we showed them how to use the chair, loaded it up in their car, gave them directions to a trail only about 20 minutes from the area and sent them on their way. When they returned the chair later that afternoon they were all smiles, telling us how they hiked all the way to the end of the trail and even managed to cross a large stone dam that they would have never imagined crossing before!

They said that the chair worked perfectly for their son and confirmed that it is possible for them to hike again as a family! They’re hoping to start a “go-fund-me” page to raise money to purchase a chair like ours and share it with other families they know in their area.

If it weren’t for people like you who contribute to Waypoint, we wouldn’t be able to purchase equipment like this!

With your help, participants and their families, like the Vernon’s, can continue to take part in these life enhancing activities.

“He doesn’t need me!”

December 5, 2018/in Fundraisers, Latest News, Past Programs, Support

“He doesn’t need me!“

That’s what we heard Nicholas’s father, Tom, exclaim with tears in his eyes and both fists pumped in the air as his son came around the corner on a tandem bicycle with a Waypoint Adventure volunteer.

Nicholas is a 17-year-old young man with Down Syndrome. He rode a bike for the very first time with a supportive group from Waypoint this fall. And, through this experience he, his dad and the entire team discovered HE CAN!

Waypoint Summer of Courage

September 4, 2018/in Kayaking, Open Enrollment, Past Programs, Series, Uncategorized

Each summer, Waypoint partners with the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation to offer accessible kayaking adventures in local state parks through the Universal Access Program. It’s been a busy, inspiring, funny, emotional, energetic summer filled with meeting hundreds of unique and amazing people and building new relationships. Over 200 people came kayaking in some of MA’s most beautiful lakes, ponds, sections of the Charles River, and Boston Harbor.

Participants were pushed this summer to step out of their comfort zone and try something courageous! Courage is often thought of as some heroic act, but we defined it as “strength of the heart.” And many times this summer it took strength of the heart to meet someone new and paddle a tandem kayak with them, learn a new skill, or just build self-efficacy through competence! We had a blast while learning ways to grow and overcome challenges! People captured these courageous moments by writing them on our Banner of Courage. Check out of few of our favorites below.

I capsized my kayak!

I learned how to paddle without a staff!

I made new friends

I went kayaking for the first time!

I practiced setting realistic expectations

I trusted people to lift me

I asked for help from others!

I learned a new skill!!

Picture of a participant writing his moment of courage on the Waypoint banner.

One big group shot in front of the pond with the banner of courage

One big group shot with the Banner of Courage

We’re so grateful we got to rub shoulders with individuals and groups that truly value those moments of real “life-learning.” We left each program filled with the hope and knowledge that there are such courageous people in this Greater Boston community. It was an awesome Summer of Courage!

Thank you to our groups! Thanks for coming kayaking with us! We were excited to partner with you! We hope the courage exhibited by your clients/students/participants/residents reverberates back into your program/classroom/community/home. Thanks Newton South Connections ABA, Boston University, Federation for Children with Special Needs’ Parent Support Group “Circle of Vietnamese Parents,” Assabet Valley Collaborative, Toward Independent Living and Learning (TILL) The Autism Initiative, TILL Group Homes, Burlington Recreation Department, and Specialized Housing, Inc.

Thank you to our sites! A special thanks to our new friends at Walden Pond! We couldn’t have asked for a more accommodating, thoughtful group of Mass DCR staff to support our programming. Our participants couldn’t have experienced the beauty of Walden without your guidance and help! Thanks also to Charles River Canoe and Kayak for access to your boats, gear, staff, and awesome sites. And Wayland Recreation Department for letting us use Wayland Town Beach, keeping your bathrooms open, and letting us use your beautiful boat launch!

Thank you to our volunteers! We had a record number of volunteers come out this summer! We felt the love! Thank you for your energy, flexibility, and eagerness to get involved. We are beyond thankful to have you be a part of our team this summer. A special shoutout to our corporate groups that went above and beyond to make “community” a tangible. Adobe and Silicon Valley Bank, thank you!

Thank you DCR Universal Access Program for lending all your financial support and expertise. Your staff are extensions of the Waypoint family! You’re making Massachusetts a better place!

7/14 with Waypoint’s Inclusive Adventure Club at Lake Cochituate in Wayland

7/17 Newton Connections ABA Kayaking at Walden Pond in Concord!

7/24 with Boston University at Walden Pond in Concord!

8/4 with Waypoint’s Inclusive Adventure Club on Boston Harbor from Malibu Beach, Dorchester. The wettest program of the year!

8/7 with Assabet Valley Collaborative at Walden Pond in Concord!

8/14 with Burlington Recreation Department at Walden Pond in Concord!

8/21 with Specialized Housing, Inc and TILL, Inc at Walden Pond in Concord!

Individuals and Families came kayaking too! It was a full summer of Open Enrollment programs!

7/17 at Walden Pond (unfortunately got rained out!)

7/24 at Walden Pond:

7/26 at Herter Park in Allston:

7/31 at Walden Pond:

8/7 at Walden Pond:

8/14 at Walden Pond:

8/16 at Lake Cochituate in Wayland:

8/21 at Walden Pond:

Hike in the Fells!

April 20, 2018/in Achievements, Group Homes, Hiking, Latest News, Past Programs, Series, Volunteer

Well, it turned spring in New England (we’re pretty sure), and the lingering cold hasn’t stopped us from getting outside. In March, we hit the Middlesex Fells with a close-knit group from Specialized Housing, Inc. Six adults who live together in a group home in Newton were up for the challenge and it all paid off as the sun poked through and we actually got an awesome day!

Our goal was to challenge ourselves (physically, mentally, and socially) while also take intentional steps towards supporting all members of the group. After some group initiatives like “Name Toss” and “Wompum,” the group set off towards Panther Cave near Bellevue Pond. Everyone started off with micro-spikes on their boots; however, after several minutes, everyone decided that they would trudge on without them. Along the way, the group encountered a river crossing that took all hands on deck to get everyone across. Check out pictures from the day!

After Panther Cave, the group was motivated to get to the summit of Pine Hill, which was home to Wright’s Tower and a beautiful view of the Boston skyline. With several steep hills and the snow and ice adding to the difficulty of the trek, the group (literally) went hand and hand all the way up to the tower.

As the group made their way back to the parking lot for the end of the adventure, they stopped at cement bench to debrief and reflect on the challenges they had faced throughout the day. All were filled with smiles and laughs as each volunteer gave a special shout-out and a rock to each participant to commemorate their journey throughout the hike and the bond they share with their fellow housemates.

All in all, the group pushed themselves to their limits and supported each other throughout. We can’t wait to see what will happen next with this group on their upcoming indoor rock climbing adventure in May!

Self Confidence is on the rise in Somerville

April 10, 2018/in Achievements, Annnouncements, Hiking, Kayaking, Latest News, Past Programs, Rock Climbing, Schools, Series, Uncategorized, Volunteer

Transformational adventure programming is happening in Somerville! Roughly 100 students from across the district are experiencing challenging experiences and big, impactful, life-learning is coming out of it. Hiking, Rock Climbing, Snowshoeing, and Kayaking programs, all within just a short bus-ride from school are increasing self-esteem, self-confidence, and students are learning new skills. Check out pictures from some recent adventures!

December 2017 – Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Gym in Watertown

January 2018 – Snowshoeing at Prospect Hill in Waltham

January 2018 – Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

February 2018 – Teambuilding and prep for Indoor Kayaking

April 2018 – Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Gym in Watertown, MA. Thanks for volunteering Definitive Cares!

April 2018 – Team Building

April 2018 – Hiking at Ward Reservation in Andover, MA. Thanks for volunteering Long Wharf Capitol!

April 2018 – Indoor Kayaking. Thanks for volunteering Definitive Cares!

Thank you to Somerville Public Schools, Somerville teachers, aids, principals, and administrators for allowing us to be involved in your community. We hope the memories from these adventures stay with these students for a lifetime!