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Do you have fun when outdoor excursions go perfectly according to plan? Sure you do. But then again…in my experience, somehow the spirit of adventure and opportunities for growth only really enter the scene when conditions are less than idyllic.

Well, 2020 has been a difficult year to say the least. From the child's perspective, their lives were completely transformed in the blink of an eye. Seeing their classmates, friends and family in person quickly turned into online learning, staying indoors, and wearing masks when in public. From my perspective, these last few months have been some of the most challenging work of my life. As a member of the marketing team, I had to get the word out about our new adapted programs immediately while still also helping develop them. I worked with different teams, everyday things changed and my work was different. It was exhilarating, stressful, exciting and emotionally draining—quite the learning experience and one that I will never forget.

Imagine campers sitting around the table, not a cell phone in sight, as they eat a meal together in the dining hall at Resident Camp. The sound of laughter and joking around rings throughout the cafeteria as kids plan for a skit night that evening. Or, imagine kids working together to set up basecamp on an Expedition. They sit around the campfire trading stories, making s'mores and playing card games before a day of mountain biking the next day. These moments may easily come to mind when you picture what overnight camp is like at Avid4 Adventure. What you can’t see though are the transformations that happen—the moments that become punctuation points in a child’s life leaving them forever changed as they continue their adventures after camp is over. These experiences are so meaningful because they represent the transformative power of the outdoors, friendships and strong role models. Below are two stories that highlight these very special experiences.

Today was a snow day. And not your typical grownup snow day of waking up early, shoveling, and then preparing for a treacherous drive to work. No, today was a true snow day, like the snow days I anxiously awaited for in elementary school. I woke up early, by choice, and ran to the window to gaze outside, curious if the snow amounted to what the meteorologists had predicted. They were right. About a foot of soft, fluffy, white powder waited outside for me to explore. I was ready to live out Buddy the Elf’s perfect day, “First, we’ll make snow angels for two hours, then we’ll go ice skating, then we’ll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse Cookie Dough as fast as we can, and then we'll snuggle.”

via GIPHY