Max’s Story of Courage and Growth

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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!

Max, a young man with dark hair, is sitting in a kayak on land. He is wearing headphones around his ears, a black t-shirt, and gray shorts.
Max, a young man with dark hair, is in the front of a blue and yellow kayak on Walden Pond. There are blue skies and trees in the background. Max is holding a paddle and leaning forward in the boat.

One Educator Waited 7 Years for Waypoint

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Dr. Lygia Soares started the Merrimac Heights Academy (MHA) in Merrimac, MA in 2013 and the next year discovered Waypoint Adventure at an event. At the time, she only had one student enrolled in her private school for students with complex learning, language, and social challenges, but she swore when she had the funding, she would be back! Well 7 years later, MHA had the funding, the students, and the buy-in to go on their first Waypoint adventure! And now they’re booked once-per-month for the rest of the school year! We love this story of an educator who saw the value of adventure education for her students and never forgot about adding it to the curriculum. We’re REALLY excited about this new partnership after an awesome hike at Ward Reservation in Andover, MA. The WHOLE school came out!
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A Letter From Dan

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What if we could make more years like 2021 possible?

Does that sound strange to you? While many people have suffered in incomprehensible ways this year, and I do not make light of those experiences, I am also thankful that Waypoint was in the right place at the right time to make many moments this year full of JOY, BELONGING, and OPPORTUNITY.

Here are just a few statements we heard from participants this year:

  • “Thanks so much for the personalized kayak trip with my brother! We could not have asked for a better experience. Your kindness and professionalism immediately made us comfortable both for my brother’s safety as well as allowed us to relax and enjoy the experience together in a calm and beautiful location.”

  • “This was the first time since her injury that we got to do something truly fun as a family!”

  • “Today was ‘independence’ day!”

In 2021, Waypoint trip leaders facilitated over 200 programs – the most in our 11-year history! Many of these were private, customized lessons for individuals or families.

Now we need your support to keep growing. People are banging on Waypoint’s door requesting more opportunities for accessible adventure programs than our team of staff, trip leaders, and volunteers can possibly provide. The calendar is already booked through the spring of 2022!

How many opportunities will you help to make possible in 2022? On average, an adventure with Waypoint costs $250 per participant. Can you make one more adventure accessible? How about ten? Would you consider a hundred? Partnering with Waypoint through a financial contribution will directly impact people’s ability to access the outdoors in the coming year. Thank you for being part of this team and for your generosity!

Sincerely,

Dan Minnich Executive Director

P.S. The pictures in this letter were taken on separate adventures held during one single week this fall. Programming at this level of frequency has become the norm and your support makes these opportunities possible!


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Wiffle Ball Celebration 2021

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The Waypoint Adventure Annual ALL-WAYPOINT family Picnic & Wiffle Ball Game has been rescheduled to Thursday, Sep 16th! Everyone’s invited!

Let’s reunite after an isolating year and celebrate the Waypoint Community made up of participants, families, friends, and volunteers! Just bring a picnic dinner and lawn chairs. We’ll have an exciting game of Wiffle Ball/T-Ball/Kick Ball!

When you register at the link below, you’ll tell us how you’d like to participate in the Wiffle Ball game: As a player, spectator, cheerleader, coach, scorekeeper, or sponsor.

WHEN? Thursday, September 16th from 5:30-8:30pm

WHERE? 453 Concord Ave, Lexington, MA 02421. This is the Waypoint Adventure Headquarters on the campus of Cotting School. We’ll use the Cotting School’s turf field for our Wiffle Ball game and adjacent patio and playground for picnicking. There is plenty of parking.

WHO? Waypoint Adventure participants, friends, family members, and volunteers. All ages!

WHAT TO BRING: All your friends! It’s one big community-reunion day! Please also bring a dinner for yourself and a lawn chair too! We will have some chairs, but not enough for everyone. PLEASE DON’T BRING alcoholic beverages or pets.

MASKS: Wear a mask if you’d prefer to wear one, but we won’t be requiring them.

SCHEDULE FOR THE EVENING:

5:30pm – Picnic and Summer Slideshow

6:00pm – Designation of Teams (Tell us if you’re playing Wiffle Ball at the Register link)

6:15pm – The first Pitch!

After game – presentation of Annual Wiffle Ball Trophy and Volunteer of the Year presentation

8:30pm – Goodbye!


REGISTER

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Pictures of Last Event

Jason Learning to Ride a Bike

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIksKU7Vf_g

37-year-old Jason had never ridden a bike before now. When he was in grade school, he used to go outside and look at the bikes in the bike rack and even swung his leg over one once to pretend to ride one, but due to a fear of falling and aversion to change, it was never an option for him.

Jason has been a long-time Waypoint participant. He goes on hikes and tandem kayaks and “its good for him to get out into nature” his parents say. But always when asked if he wants to try a new trail or go farther than last time, he says, “No. No. No.” Jason likes his routine. With his Autism, things make Jason happy when they are predictable. But his new Waypoint staff that have been working with him, Michelle and Jim, dug deeper than any Waypoint staff have ever before! They even called Jason’s old teachers and friends and asked for advice. “How do we motivate Jason to take a risk?” The answer was “build trust through interests.”

So at their weekly walks, Sesame Street characters starting showing up on trail signs and trees. A scavenger hunt would be set up before-hand and Jason would find all the laminated pictures of characters (keeping for himself his favorites and bringing them home to the dining room table). He was starting to go farther and try new trails after finding them all!

And that’s when the bike showed up. At first, Jason said “NO. NO. NO”. But with Dad nearby, Grover and Bert in hand, and staff understanding that “No” sometimes means “Wait,” Jason tried a tandem trike! No helmet at first, and barely pedaling, but he did it! By the third week, Jason would “put on his hat” and dad said, his legs would be shaking by the end of the trip with all the pedaling! Last week, Jason was running across the parking lot and trying to pull the 300 lb piece of equipment down from the truck bed by himself!

At age 37, a new world has opened up for Jason and his family. Through the trust found in a supportive and creative team, Jason has a new-found interest and unlocked new possibilities. His family is thrilled and is even taking the trike up to Maine this summer on vacation.

So shout-out to Jason for pushing boundaries, trying something new, and realizing his life-long dream of riding a bike!

Finding Confidence after a Brain Injury

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This week is Brain Injury Awareness week and we’ve been thinking a lot about Cindi and the progress she’s made at Waypoint. Cindi has both an Acquired Brain Injury and a Traumatic Brain Injury – Acquired was from what doctors believe to have been a mosquito bite and contracting Triple E in 2010, and Traumatic was from falling due to residual balance issues.

In Cindi’s life before her injury, she had been a barber at a Veterans Hospital doing cuts and shaves for over 350 patients, had gone to school to get her private detective license, was a part-time travel agent, had her commercial driver’s license and drove 18-wheelers for 5 years, and volunteered for her town as an EMT and Firefighter for 10 years! All while raising 4 children!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMviI7BPL9A

After her Encephalitis from what doctors believe to have been a mosquito bite in 2010, Cindi had cognitive issues, memory issues, balance issues, aphasia, and would get overstimulated easily. Things like people moving fast near her or driving in the car would throw off her vestibular and she would feel sick. She did months of intense therapy and rehab, used a wheelchair for a year, then moved to a rolling walker, and now still uses a cane to help with balance.

Last month, Cindi met with our friend, consultant, and market researcher, Mira, who is helping tell Waypoint participants’ stories and told her what made Waypoint different from other organizations she had been with in the past. She told Mira how refreshing it was that Waypoint was a teaching organization. She said, “They know that I have memory problems, but want to be able to hike on my own. They help me get there.”

What we love about hearing Cindi’s story is that it reminds us that we’re in the business of amplifying people’s true selves. Before her injury, Cindi was someone who liked to be bold, adventurous, try new things, and loved to learn.  And after her injury, Cindi has the same love for adventure and living life to the fullest! She may need support with balance, memory, judgement,
and confidence, but she’s making progress to be able to hike on her own and she’s already planning more backpacking trips this summer with her son!

Go Cindi!

Private Lessons Summer 2020

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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!













SITES

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Trails getting crowded? Try ours! We contacted the interactive map service, MapMe.com, and explained that we wanted to put out a resource that would help our community get outside with notes about trail types, accessibility, parking, and more, and they donated a free membership due to the circumstances! We’re so grateful to partner with a company that believes in the power of the outdoors and the importance of sharing resources during this time! Thank you MapMe​!

Click here to go to the map: https://viewer.mapme.com/c6e9acd1-fe47-4d48-854b-e71075a84a14

The interactive map includes sites that Waypoint Adventure​ has used over the years. Share it with your friends! Click on a site and you’ll see an address for parking, photos, and notes on trail recommendations and accessibility. Since we couldn’t describe every nuance about every trail intersection of every route, give us a call if you have any questions! We love talking about accessibility and have a lot of good tips for wheelchair users especially. Check back often as we continue to update this great resource. Get out and start #adventuringanyway and always remember to practice physical distancing!

NOTE: The blue icons are more suitable for everyday wheelchairs, but we’re just a call away if you need an off-road wheelchair! (www.waypointadventure.org/wheelchair-rental-program). Please check the listed links to the sites for up-to-date info on closures, bathrooms, etc. If you have any recommendations to add, send us a message or comment below! For more resources, also check out www.mass.gov/info-details/accessible-trails.

COVID-19 Action at Waypoint

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Dear Waypoint Community,

The safety and well-being of our participants, employees, and community is our highest priority. As the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, we wanted to share our current plans and the steps we are taking to help protect all involved.

As the information available continues to evolve, we are closely monitoring guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health officials around the country. As an organization, we will continue to rely on their recommendations and expertise to inform our decisions. As a result, our April 2nd Annual Fundraiser at the Brae Burn Country Club is cancelled along with all programs through April 7th and possibly beyond.

We are working on ways to connect virtually and support you all and this community we love so much. This is an opportunity for all of us to really care for one another well and we look forward to entering a season of generosity and support with you all. If you or someone you know needs any help or you have something you need, please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of us at Waypoint. We would be happy to figure out a way to help. We’re also implementing as of today…

Wheelchair Rental Program: During this time of distancing and isolation, we understand that sitting around at home can make anyone go stir-crazy. We have several styles of off-road wheelchairs sitting in our offices not being used and we’re offering their rental during this time of isolation. Go to our Wheelchair Rental page for more details. You can also rent trekking poles!

several off road wheelchairs lined up in front of the waypoint garagePS If you can support this program, we’d greatly appreciate it. Each chair cost about $100 per day to rent out so anything you can give will make a difference. Help us give others access to trails and fresh air at this time by going to our Donate Page. 

In this season of physical distance, we are still committed to remaining a strong and connected community. Please don’t hesitate to reach out via email, phone, or social media. As a staff, we’re  working from home and using the time to prepare fully and carefully for recommencing programs. It’s hard to not be running programs with you all, but we can all support each other with these changes one day at a time!

Updated March 18, 2020

Carter School Partnership

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At Waypoint Adventure, we talk about the importance of community all the time. There is no better example of this than on our programs with the Carter School. The Carter School is a Boston Public School high school for students with both severe, intensive disabilities and complex health needs. Carter students and their families participated in hiking and kayaking programs last spring. Three communities came together to make these programs possible: the Carter School, the Snowden International School, and Waypoint Adventure.

All Carter students and their families were given the chance to participate on a program in the Blue Hills on one of three days dedicated to hiking. Many students from the Carter School got to hike for the first time alongside peers from another BPS school, the Snowden International School. Snowden students learned how to push and pull some of Waypoint’s specialized off road wheelchairs, so Carter School students’ family members who usually are responsible for their child’s care at home had a chance to enjoy the hike without having to do any of the pushing. We had three great hiking days full of learning mapping skills, getting to know each other, and exploring nature (including smelling skunk cabbage). Since these hikes, we have loved finding out that Snowden students continue to volunteer at the Carter School for special events, further strengthening the relationship between the two schools.

The final program of the partnership is one of the biggest Waypoint has ever run! It was a cookout and kayaking day at Hale Reservation to celebrate the end of the school year. Families were welcome to join their child for the day. We had almost 70 people on that program! Carter students and their parents and siblings all got to try kayaking on Noanet Pond with experienced Waypoint volunteers. We all had a blast trying something new together!

Check out our pictures from these programs. We feel so lucky to be able to participate in this amazing partnership, and we cannot wait to watch these communities come together again to make these programs happen this spring!