Community Give Back Program Update: Exploring the Outdoors with Wrangell’s Summer Rec Program!

This spring Waterbody initiated our Community Give Back Program: 2% of all profits are donated quarterly to our local Parks and Recreation Department to maintain green spaces and help kiddos access outdoor programming.

The mission and values of Waterbody align with the mission of Wrangell’s Parks and Rec department: to support active lifestyles through a variety of health, wellness and wilderness opportunities. We believe in the power of nature to heal and reveal our strongest selves, and through this program we have the opportunity to help our community access the restorative benefits of time spent outdoors.

Wrangell’s Parks and Rec Department does an incredible job maintaining safe, accessible trails and green spaces, and provides creative, fun programming and services to keep our community healthy, happy, and active. I’m so thrilled to partner with the team at WPR, and so grateful for your support to send some love back into the community of Wrangell that has supported this business from day one.

(Image: A beautiful view of Wrangell from the Mt. Dewey Trail, maintained by WPR)

With your support, this spring and summer’s Community Give Back Program donations funded scholarships for the WPR Summer Recreation Program!

Since 1976, the Summer Recreation Program has helped to provide a safe, structured environment for Wrangell’s youth, where kids are encouraged to connect, play, create and develop solid social skills.

The 2019 program served over 80 youth and employed 7 young adults. 6 children received scholarship money that enabled them to attend several weeks of programming expense-free. This year held the highest participation on record in the last 8 years!

(Image: The Summer Rec crew takes a jog on the nature trail at Wrangell's Volunteer Park)

The summer program runs from June to mid-August and is filled with fun, experiential opportunities for kids to play and learn, thanks to partnerships with the local Forest Service district, Tribal Council, and volunteer residents.

Each day offers an element of physical fitness: hiking, swimming, biking, running, challenge courses and more. On Forest Explorer days, an Interpreter from our local Forest Service district leads the group through trails, forest, beaches, and muskeg to discover and learn about the plants, animals, and ecosystem in our wild backyard. Arts and crafts days offer the chance to get creative, and a sprinkling of games and structured play throughout the week encourages movement and team building skills. As well, the children are read to daily and participate in a summer reading program through the local library, which helps maintain threads of academia, making the transition back to school easier. One of the more valuable pieces of the program is that it provides children with an opportunity to flex their emotional and social muscles in a safe environment with strong leadership.

(Image: Program Coordinator Lucy Robinson leads a group on a hike through the woods)

In a community where childcare is limited and an age where exposure to nature is vital this program serves all. It’s been alive for 43 years and WPR hopes to maintain its sustainability for many more decades to come. Our community runs on the power of collaboration, and both Waterbody and WPR are so grateful to the participants, staff, partners, sponsors and volunteers that help make this program possible.

Waterbody is proud to support this outstanding community program, and incredibly grateful for the support of our customers and retail partners!

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