May 18, 2020
To our wonderful participants, supporters, friends, and community,
We miss you! We miss adventuring on the trails, the lakes, the rivers, and the paths with you. We hope you are well, settling into a routine that is working for you, and have the support that you need. If you don't, please reach out to us (just reply to this email) and we will do our very best to connect with you with support.
I am writing today to update you on where things stand for All Out Adventures as we navigate through the COVID-19 health emergency and we look ahead to summer.
Our in-person programs continue to be suspended during this time. However, we are working with the Department of Conservation and Recreation's Universal Access Program to develop ways that we can support you in being active in the outdoors. We are well aware of the vital physical and mental health benefits of outdoor physical activity, and we are committed to supporting our program participants in accessing the state parks and outdoor recreation. While we are currently in busy planning mode, please know that we will update you as we develop plans for spring and summer.
Please stay tuned for a survey coming to your email later this week that will help us with our planning.
One definite for us is that we will be opening our recumbent trike shop on select Saturdays beginning on May 30 for those interested in purchasing a recumbent trike. Please visit our website for dates and details on new protocols for visiting our trike shop. All visits to our trike shop will be by appointment only to help ensure we are able to create the safest possible test ride experience for customers and staff.
Of utmost concern to us at All Out Adventures is operating in a way that minimizes risk for our program participants and staff. We will be putting guidelines in place and making our plans based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and our local Northampton Health Department.
Our Tuesday virtual SHIP (Statewide Head Injury Program) programs have been a truly wonderful way for us to connect with each other and to provide virtual support to those with brain injuries in getting outside each week. We invite all survivors of acquired or traumatic brain injury and their loved ones to join us on Tuesday afternoons. Please respond to this email to request the Zoom link and password.
Our community of supporters is coming through for us in a huge way, and we can't express our gratitude enough. So far, we have raised over $30,000 of the $42,810.00 goal that we set to cover 6 months of critical operating expenses so that we can resume full programming when this health emergency has passed. We are so grateful for the generous donations and kind and encouraging notes you have sent.
We have received $7,000 in federal Small Business Association emergency funding as well as a loan through the federal Payroll Protection Program. We continue to scour every relevant opportunity to help fund our operations during this time.
We wish you all good health, and we can't wait to get back on the trails, the paths, the lakes, and the river with you. In the meantime, please do your very best to protect your health and the health of others in your community by staying home as much as possible and choosing to spend time outdoors in places where you will not be in close contact with others.
Again, please stay tuned for a survey later this week as well as additional plans and opportunities to get outdoors with our support over the coming months.
All my best to your health,
Karen
April 9, 2020
To our wonderful participants, supporters, friends, and community,
I am writing today to update you on how things are going for All Out Adventures as we navigate through the COVID-19 health emergency. It is with a mix of positive developments and challenges that we continue to steer the organization through this unprecedented time.
First, a note of gratitude to Program Leader/Trike Mechanic Jackie Brown, who wrote the most recent email you received with a list of resources that might be helpful to you. Please know that you can reach out to us if you need referrals or support, and we will do our best to get you the information you need.
Our in-person programs and trike shop services continue to be suspended during this time that social distancing is so critical. We have pared our expenses down to the bare minimum of insurance, rent, web hosting, and a few hours/week of time for Sue and I to continue our work of grant writing, reporting, and planning.
In addition, Program Director Sue Tracy has developed and begun hosting a series of Zoom-based programs through our contract with the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission's Statewide Head Injury Program (SHIP). We have found great comfort and motivation in connecting with our SHIP program participants, motivating each other to be active, and coming together to share our discoveries from independent outside time.
We look forward to exploring other virtual programming and training opportunities with our other funders over the coming weeks, and to continuing to provide support as we can to people with disabilities, seniors, and veterans in being active in the outdoors during this time.
If you are on Facebook, I recommend following our page for timely updates, photos, recommendations, memories and more to stay connected.
Our community of supporters is coming through for us in a huge way, and we can't express our gratitude enough. So far, we have raised $25,762.08 of the $42,810.00 goal that would allow us to cover 6 months of critical operating expenses so that we can resume programming when this health emergency has passed.
We have applied for state and federal emergency funding for small businesses and nonprofits, and we continue to scour every relevant opportunity to help fund our operations during this time.
Ways you can help
First, please reach out to check on your loved ones and those in your community who are most vulnerable and may need assistance in meeting basic food, health, and medical needs.
If you are financially able to make a contribution, that is the single most important thing you can do to help sustain All Out Adventures through this health emergency.
Finally, do you have a favorite photo or memory from a program you can share with us? We'd love to collect your stories, quotes, and photos to share through social media to help keep people connected to All Out Adventures. You can just reply to this email or send a note or photo to me at: kfoster@alloutadventures.org.
All Out Adventures was founded in 2001, and we have provided continuous outdoor recreation programming to people of all abilities ever since. We have overcome challenges as an organization before, and we look forward to working creatively to overcome this one as well.
We wish you all good health, and we can't wait to get back on the trails, the paths, the lakes, and the river with you. In the meantime, please do your very best to protect your health and the health of others in your community by staying home as much as possible and choosing to spend time outdoors in places where you will not be in close contact with others.
I'll stay in touch with updates, information, and resources over these next few months.
All my best to your health,
Karen