Waypoint kayaking programs are all over the Boston area, and we have made it out to a few of the Boston Harbor Islands… but never with a group this size before! Our group of 22 people paddled almost 5 miles in the ocean! And on the way back, into the wind, against the current, they were still Still Singing in Good Spirits!
Check out pictures of our biggest ever, farthest ocean paddle to date.
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.
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:
On two beautiful Saturdays late this summer, we explored the southern end of Boston Harbor and Little Harbor, Cohasset with students from the May Center.
In August, thanks to a partnership with the Trustees of Reservations, we paddled from World’s End to Bumpkin Island. In the early 1900s, Bumpkin was the site of a school for students with physical disabilities, but after burning down in the ‘50s, the site is now just a pile of yellow bricks. These facts always provide fodder for good conversations. What do you think of a school for students with disabilities on a beautiful, isolated location like this? This paddle was a good challenge for our group and included navigating boat channels and paddling against the wind for much of our return trip.
In September, we had the very rare opportunity of paddling on Little Harbor in Cohasset. This is a magical spot and is only accessible via a narrow channel from the Atlantic Ocean or from one of the few, fortunate homes built around the harbor. The channel from the ocean would include navigating very strong currents and standing waves – neither of which our group was ready for. But, lucky for us, Waypoint has friends who own a home and generously offered our group the opportunity to launch right from their back yard! It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day. Eight stellar volunteers joined us and we enjoyed a perfect day on the water.
In August at World’s End Reservation of the Trustees
In September, paddling out of Little Harbor, Cohasset
Every August, we host a week of adventuring and life-learning alongside the Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester’s Inclusion Program. It was another awesome week with a new and excited group of teens ready to take on challenges and participate in fulfilling summer trips. This group was working on taking more positive risks as individuals and socializing well within constructive teams. Each day involved a discussion at the end about what challenges we faced, the supports that we used to meet those challenges, and then culminated in delivering compliments to everyone in the group.
This group was funny, encouraging, articulated their feelings, supported each other, and participated with full hearts and good attitudes. They were AWESOME to work with for 4 days of adventuring around Boston. Thanks again BGC Dorchester and we hope to see you again next year!
The Ropes Course at North Andover Youth Services
Hiking in the Blue Hills
Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Gym in Watertown
Ocean Kayaking from World’s End Park in Hingham, MA
Our first Connecticut program is in the books! Because of connections made through family and friends and because of the support of Christ Community Church., Waypoint had the opportunity to run TWO kayaking programs this past weekend on Long Island Sound in Darien, CT. When Within a few short days of outreach, both program rosters were full of youth and adults hungry for fun, adventure and discovery on the water. This enthusiastic community, combined with the amazing weather and scenery made for a truly incredible day of kayaking!
Not only did we hit a milestone by taking our day-programming out of MA, but the program itself felt particularly unique and impactful. You know that feeling? If you’ve been on adventure programs like these, I’m sure you’ve felt it – When their’s an overbearing feeling of joy and connectedness. When everyone is genuinely excited to be there and meet new friends. When everyone comes together to support ensure that everyone else experiences a fun and safe adventure – That was the feeling that saturated the air on this particular Saturday in July.
After the program was over, one mom weighed in on her family’s experience of the day. She says:
“Thanks so much for an amazing day. First, I want to thank you for including my son Patrick. I didn’t expect him to get a chance to kayak, as he doesn’t have special needs, but I was so happy for him that he could. As you probably know, siblings of those with special needs do a ton of sacrificing – some that they know about and some they don’t… From deep in my heart, thanks for including him so warmly. He’ll remember this special experience as something he got through his sister, which is a precious and important memory.
And of course Mags had the time of her life. Her partner, Fiona, couldn’t possibly have been a better match and Mags was her best self today!… Thank you Waypoint for your enthusiasm, knowledge, and willingness to have both patience and high expectations for our kids…”
We can’t wait to get back down there and do it all again soon! Stay tuned CT… we’ll be back!
Local news was even there and captured part of the day! Check out their story by clicking here.
The May Center, a community-living network of houses for individuals with brain injuries has been participating in Waypoint programs for years. From climbing to hiking to kayaking, all of us at Waypoint have had a chance to see many of the same guys and gals take on new challenges and grow through adventure experiences. This past Saturday was their capstone adventure of the summer and more familiar faces joined us. We launched out of Malibu Beach in Dorchester, paddled to Squantum Point to check out the tide pools, and continued down the Neponsett River, all of which was cast by a backdrop of the Boston sky-line. Thank you to our stellar volunteers for helping make this accessible and impactful!
Some programs simply can’t be captured in words or pictures. You just have to be there. This was one of those days. It was mid August and, as it sometimes does in New England, the air was completely free of humidity and haze. It was crystal clear and the sky was as blue as the ocean we were paddling on!
When the students from the May Institute showed up to the beach we knew right away, their attitude matched the weather. They were bright, sunny and excited to take on the adventure.
After a quick briefing of the day and a few teambuilding activities to get the group acclimated, we spent time teaching some basic paddling skills to help the students prepare. Once everyone felt comfortable, we set out for a long journey around Worlds End and Rocky Neck and then up into the Weir River Estuary. It was truly remarkable! There were so many different types of birds and fish were umping everywhere!
After getting back to the beach and unpacking our boats we sat down for a little debrief session, as we always do. At the end of our discussion, after a lot of laughs, we asked the students to talk about their “high moment” for the day. Many students talked about the weather and the feel of the cool water on such a hot day. Others expressed how good if felt to be free and paddle “wherever they wanted”. Another said they’ll remember, “paddling on the ocean and getting the chance to help my friend.” One student even said ,”this was the best day of my summer”!
As simple as it may seem, it’s clear to us, these students were impacted….probably more impacted than they realized right away. Days like this don’t come that often but when they do we realize how much we need them. Enjoy the scenery!
A big THANK YOU goes out to the Trustees of the Reservation for allowing us to use Worlds End as a launching site for this and many other programs.
A cloudy Saturday and a break in the heat wave provided perfect conditions for a kayak trip out of Malibu Beach in Dorchester. Our group of adults paddled north along the Boston Harbor shore-line, past U-Mass Boston and all the way up to the JFK library. Once we rounded Columbia Point we were met with a stunning view of the Boston skyline! It was truly incredible.
Days like this mean a lot more to people than just a fun day on the water. Taking on the challenge of an ocean paddle while doing it alongside a community creates real moments for learning. We’ve seen it happen all summer!
One woman said it was a day she’ll never forget – a reminder that she’s capable of accomplishing so much more!
“I’ll never forget today!”
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