Stability
For everyone this means something different. For some it is all they want in life, for others it is something to avoid as they seek out new adventures around every corner. When you are snowboarding you want to be strong and stable on your board to manage the terrain as it comes, while on a mountain bike rolling over uneven terrain you are constantly moving and adjusting to the changes under your bike and remaining stable in one position would present some real challenges to staying on your bike. As with anything in life there are pros and cons.
As a charity stability is something we seek. From our volunteers we want them to commit to showing up each week so they can build strong relationships with our participants as mentors and positive role models. From our participants we love seeing them show up each week as that steady attendance is what allows them to build on the knowledge from the week before and see progression in their ability.
One of the most important areas for any charity to have stability is within our funding. Not knowing how programs will be funded, or rent will get paid, can lead to poor decision making where decisions are based on the right now rather than based on what is best for the long term interests of the organization and our clients.
Here at Elevation Outdoors we have been incredibly lucky to have amazing community partners that have supported our organization for many years. Partners like the United Way of British Columbia and Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program are amazing examples, and it is through the support of organizations like this that we have been able to increase our impact in the community.
If we rewind time back to 2016, we were an organization with 1 part time staff member and only offering 4 programs to the community. Fast forward to 2021 and we are now able to support 1 full time and 2 part time year round staff with a team growing to 12 over the summer months when we are running a variety of programs. We are now offering 6 different CORE programs, summer camps, mountain bike clinics and lessons, running a bike rental operation with our partner agency CRIS, as well as working collaboratively with our local school district to help provide programming opportunities to some of their students to help re-engage with school in a different way.
Community groups like the Ogopogo Rotary Club , or the Mountain Bikers of the Central Okanagan have been another large part of our success and growth. The members of the Ogopogo club, and several other Rotary Clubs in our community, have supported us not just financially, but also with time as volunteers helping at events, driving our bus to support our programs, or providing opportunities to our participants to learn about themselves in programs like Adventures in Tourism.
As we head into another year here at Elevation Outdoors we continue along our journey to find increased stability. We have big dreams, but know we can only achieve them by moving one step at a time to ensure we build a strong foundation that can support us as we move towards our vision of what we can do, and the impact we can have in our community. While we have seen amazing success over the past 5 years, none if that is possible without the countless number of individuals an organizations that have supported our work and our mission to break down the barriers that many in our community face to finding a passion for the outdoors.
If you , or you business, would like to join us on our journey and help provide that much needed stability that is needed to chase dreams please reach out to our team and we will be happy to discuss how you can get involved and help us take the next step on our journey. If you prefer to remain anonymous you can always make a donation and know that we your support helps create memories and experiences that would otherwise not be possible for many young people in our community.
