Rochester Accessible Adventures has received one of forty $5,000 MTN DEW Outdoor Grants in support of the organization’s ongoing commitment to champion access by people with disabilities to the
great outdoors. Based in Rochester, NY, and serving the Greater Rochester, Finger Lakes and WNY regions, Rochester Accessible Adventures is a 501c3 nonprofit that improves the health and wellness of people with disabilities by guiding communities to create a culture of physical accessibility, social inclusion, and equitable open access in recreation, sports and tourism. As an organization that is passionate about the outdoors, Rochester Accessible Adventures believes it is crucial that we all do our part to preserve the lands we love and enable all people to get outside and experience the health and wellness benefits provided by outdoor recreation.
Rochester Accessible Adventures looks forward to using the $5,000 grant to expand access to the outdoor experience for people with disabilities. In keeping with our overarching goal to transform how recreation is provided so that people with and without disabilities can participate together, we will partner with key community entities in the Greater Rochester area to engage in our Community Health Inclusion model of inclusion so that more people with disabilities can participate in the activities those organizations promote. The physical, social and emotional benefits of outdoor recreation are well- known, as are the physical and social barriers that exist for people with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities to participate in outdoor recreation, and Rochester Accessible Adventures is committed to removing those barriers and increasing access to the outdoor experience.
“To be recognized by MTN DEW and our local community for our work and commitment to the outdoors is very special,” says Anita O’Brien, Executive Director/Rochester Accessible Adventures. “We are so excited to receive a $5,000 grant to help us set in motion our Get Outdoors! movement towards true inclusion of children, youth and adults with disabilities in outdoor activities in the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region during a time when it matters most.”
Rochester Accessible Adventures is one of forty nonprofits to receive a grant through the MTN DEW Outdoor Grants program. The effort by MTN DEW is part of a long-term commitment to help community organizations across the U.S. who have faced funding and volunteer participation challenges due to the ongoing pandemic, and to provide outdoor enthusiasts with more access to the great outdoors by helping remove some of the key barriers. The brand has donated more than $1.25 million to fuel outdoor passions to-date.
To learn about Rochester Accessible Adventures, visit www.RochesterAccessibleAdventures.org
To learn more about the MTN DEW Outdoor Grants program and the other 39 grant recipients, visit www.DEWOutdoorGrants.com.
About Rochester Accessible Adventures
Rochester Accessible Adventures is a non-profit with a mission to improve the health and wellness of people with disabilities by guiding communities to create a culture of physical accessibility, social inclusion and equitable open access in recreation, sport and tourism. Our unique Community Health Inclusion partnerships are multi-year contracted consultation services to assess, train, and provide on- going support to recreation businesses, with outcomes of both physical accessibility and social inclusion.This work has resulted in: tangible operational change that sustains a culture of inclusion, removal of physical barriers, and increases in participation in active recreation by over 800 individuals with a variety of intellectual/developmental and physical disabilities – alongside their family, friends and peers without disability. RAA also works in collaboration with Greater Buffalo Adaptive Sports in the WNY Adaptive & Inclusive Sports Collaborative, committed to supporting adaptive and inclusive sports teams.
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