Removing Barriers to Inclusive Wilderness Experiences
ADAPTIVE
WILDNERESS
WITHIN
REACH
Summer updates from AWWR!
We are thrilled to announce our Innovation grant award from the Department of Human Services – Disability Services Division. This award allows us to provide year-round programming and purchase adaptive equipment for participant use for the next two years! Thank you DSD for helping us bring adaptive wilderness recreation within reach for people living with permanent physical disabilities!
We were awarded a Save the Boundary Waters Wilderness Equity Initiative Grant and were able to use those funds towards the purchase of new adaptive kayaks! Thank you Save the BWCA for your support!
AWWR is a 501(c)(3) Minnesota-based non-profit organization that brings adaptive outdoor recreation within reach for people living with permanent physical disabilities. Through public and private partnerships we remove financial, physical, and community preparedness obstacles to inclusive wilderness experiences. Join us in our mission to make the great outdoors accessible to all.
Founded in 2022 by Sean & Jill Leary, AWWR’s mission is to make wild places more accessible for people with physical disabilities. Sean was paralyzed (SCI T11/12) in a motor vehicle accident in 2001 and graduated from Saint John’s University in 2006. Prior to his accident, Sean was an avid canoe and camping enthusiast. Sean and Jill met while Jill was guiding canoe trips and they married in 2010. Jill teaches high school Spanish and Sean is an environmental consultant. As Sean & Jill raise their family, they prioritize exploring nature and understand how challenging it is for people with physical disabilities to access the wilderness. AWWR hopes to change this reality for their participants by breaking down barriers to access and making outdoor adventures more inclusive.
Adaptive Outdoor Recreation
AWWR is partnering with North of North Wilderness Resort in Ely, MN to provide ADA access to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and Superior National Forest (SNF). Beginning summer 2024, North of North will be installing a fully ADA kayak launch system for use by AWWR participants at their accessible resort located on Birch Lake at the edge of the BWCA. Birch Lake is nearly 7,700 acres (20 miles long) with 75% of its shoreline being federal and state protected land, the wildest and largest of the Ely area lakes.
AWWR programs include canoeing, kayaking, fishing, cycling, swimming, dog sledding, hiking, and more. We partner with outfitters, guides, and lodging to provide adaptive experiences tailored to your interests, abilities, and with your family and friends.
Contribute to AWWR
Thank you for considering a donation to AWWR.
We are currently fundraising for summer and fall 2024 programming. Summer programming will include adaptive kayaking and fishing. Adaptive wild rice harvesting will be added to our programming this fall. Your support will help us provide these outdoor adaptive recreation experiences for individuals with physical disabilities and enable the program to make important adaptive equipment investments. Please support AWWR and help us create a more inclusive wilderness outdoor recreation community!
Donate Here
Your generous donation makes outdoor recreation experiences possible for people living with physical disabilities. Thank you for supporting us!
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