Kathryn Gray, CARENET Americorps, Adams County District 14:
Over the past five years, CARENET AmeriCorps has been privilege to take several hundred youth from the Commerce City area on overnight W.O.W. Camp adventures! At these camps, kids are exposed to and immersed in the opportunities of their local outdoor community. The counselors, staff, and partners provide some of the best experiential education opportunities our students ever will receive. At the end of the camp, most kids have experienced numerous “firsts” in their lives—setting up a tent, dissecting owl pellets, cooking on a camp stove, sleeping outdoors, recreating in the mountains, learning basic environmental education, and practicing Leave No Trace principles. All of these experiences are thoroughly enjoyed and not easily forgotten as evidenced by the students’ continual, year-round questioning of “Hey, when are we going to go camping again?!”
Kathryn Gray
Program Director
CARENET AmeriCorps
720.322.8113
Tabbi Kinion, CDOW:
Working with WOW is one of my favorite parts of summer. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the spark of excitement of a kid experiencing something new for the first time. I see amazing potential for the WOW Colorado program to get even more kids outdoors exploring the world around them! The experience kids have while at WOW camp is one that they will never forget, and for so many of them, one they would have never had without the dedication and commitment of the WOW staff.
Tabbi Kinion, Project WILD Coordinator
Colorado Division of Wildlife
Timothy Hutchens, Denver Parks and Recreation (Outdoor Recreation):
Micah & his WOW staff are very professional & knowledgeable about teaching camping & outdoors skills to youth, A great organization to collaborate with. They run a safe program where kids feel comfortable learning and have fun doing it. Denver Parks & Recreation puts many youth through the WOW program. I hear nothing but great things from my staff and the kids that go to WOW camps. Micah is great to work with, he is open to new Ideas and is a good communicator, which is very important in this field. Not only has WOW helped create a wonderful camping experience for Denver Parks & Recreation, they have taken on projects to improve the campsite they use (chief hose north campground) which has enhanced the experience they offer. This shows me that they are committed to the program, willing to do extra work to improve & make WOW more successful in the future.
Timothy Hutchens | Supervisor - Outdoor Recreation Denver Parks & Recreation City and County of Denver 303-370-6668 Phone | 303-331-3865 Fax timothy.hutchens@denvergov.org
Ryan Smith, WOW Staff Member:
I absolutely love the WOW Colorado program. We have so many hard-working and dedicated members working for us, and we only have room to grow. It's ALL about the kids; and passing on my knowledge of the environment, team-building, respect for each other, and outdoor skills makes me so excited every year! Yay WOW!