On October 29, 2022, at the Wildwood Recreation Site in Welches, Oregon, through partnership and strength in community, Hike it Baby was able to host a day outside for families from People of Color Outdoors (POCO) and Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization’s (IRCO’s) Greater Middle Eastern Community (GMEC).
We were able to bus in families and provide lunch catered by antfarm, a local organization that supports homeless youth with work, community service, and outdoor experience opportunities. Oregon Zoo’s Youth Ambassadors supported our numerous activities and jumped in wholeheartedly to help families play with giant bubbles, make nature crafts, roast s’mores, identify scat and footprints, and enjoy a nature walk. Adventure Without Limits brought an adaptive trail wheelchair for families to see what kinds of options are available if they know someone with disabilities who would like to get outside. Oregon State Parks offered engaging nature interpretation, sharing about the life cycle of salmon and allowing kids to make their own skulls with whatever survival adaptations they could imagine. Numerous and generous corporate sponsors donated gear we could give away. We shared fun resources in English, Spanish and Arabic, and had a robust gear library available for families to use jackets, rain boots, and baby carriers as needed. Watching families cozy up to warm fires, people helping each other ensure small children stayed with our walking groups, and teens run around in costumes while playing with bubbles, was truly a heartwarming experience.
