Branden got his start with Beyond Boundaries as a participant. A self-described fishing lover, he brought smiles to everyone’s face when he caught an impressive largemouth bass on one of his first few fishing trips and shared a loving call with his grandfather to show off his catch. Branden’s positive attitude, great presence and willingness to try hard at everything he does impressed our team so much that we recently brought him on board as our new Community Events Facilitator.

As we move into 2024, we are introducing three new principles that will serve as guiding ideals for Beyond Boundaries. Access. Community. Empowerment. These standards are at the core of everything we do. As we continue to expand both our organization and our programming, we are challenging ourselves, our volunteers and our community to live up to these standards.

Volunteering with Beyond Boundaries takes many forms, and for some, it becomes a way to embark on personal adventures. For our second Volunteer of the Year, Tim Raney, it was a way to learn new things while connecting organizations that he cares about.

It’s no secret that we love our volunteers. Every year, dozens of people take time out of their busy schedules to volunteer with us, sharing their passion for adventure and the outdoors. Without our volunteers, Beyond Boundaries wouldn’t be what it is today. That being said, every year there are a few volunteers that go above and beyond, dedicating themselves to our mission and supporting our team on trips. This year, we’re proud to recognize Christina Buccigrossi as one of our two volunteers of the year.

Thank you to Zenbusiness for helping to support our mission in 2024!

ZenBusiness makes it easy to start, run, and grow your business. By making business formation easy and affordable, we hope to foster a small business community where owners can connect on a local and national level and help each other grow.

Every year, our staff and board meet to conduct a retrospective and reflect on the past year. As part of this process, we internally recognize our partners and volunteers and share our gratitude for their hard work and dedication. During these discussions, we vote on our Trailblazer Award recipients.

Sometimes adventure carries you beyond the boundaries of the greater Richmond area. We love seeing our partners rep Beyond Boundaries wherever they go, especially as they’re reaching new heights.

Recently, we had the opportunity to partner with accomplished para-climber Allie Redshaw as she went on a globe-trotting adventure to climb one of the best locations in the world. During her 10-day trip, she was the only para climber, joining athletes worldwide as they climbed in Majorca, Spain.

This year, we kicked off our M4K fundraiser in a big way– our partners at TrailHead Creative set up an awesome shave day, donated by High Point Barbershop. Members of our team met on a blustery morning on November 1st to get hot towel shaves donated by High Point. Our friends at On Three Photography also graciously donated their time to photograph the event and make an awesome recap video.

Summer camp is a special place to build memories, make friends, and try new things. This year we partnered with the Autism Society of Central Virginia to host an adult summer camp at Camp Hanover. Over a full weekend, we all shared fun activities, spending time around a campfire and in our cabins and exploring local trails and waterways. Camps like this are a growing opportunity and programming style for Beyond Boundaries and we’re excited to have had such a fun weekend!

Community support is a vital component of accomplishing our mission. With partners like Tom Wilcox, Director of Engagement at the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources we’re able to provide more adventures, build our community, and support our participants. However, the magic really happens when our partners are able to experience their own shifts in perspective and grow alongside us. Our longtime partner, advocate, and friend Tom, is the perfect example of this.

As the parents of three boys with autism, Kate and her husband Gary have worked incredibly hard to create a lifestyle centered around the outdoors and adventure. After connecting with the Autism Society of Central Virginia, the Fletchers were later introduced to Beyond Boundaries, joining us on a hike as their first family adventure.

Meeting Branden for the first time was a memorable experience. He arrived on a fishing trip with Jacob’s Chance bursting at the seams. For him, being able to go fishing was a dream that had yet to come true and he was more than ready to seize the opportunity.

Chances are; if you’ve been on a trip with Beyond Boundaries you’ve encountered the smiling face and boisterous energy of our 2022 Volunteer of the Year–Lisa. Lisa’s energy, relentless dedication to Beyond Boundaries, and great attitude are a part of what makes our trips so special. She’s always willing to dive in and has even been whitewater-certified to further support us on trips. When she’s not joining us on adventures, Lisa works at Radford University, fishes, and explores Virginia’s numerous wildlife management areas.

With a new venue, a new logo from TrailHead Creative, and beautiful weather- this year’s R.I.M.B.Y. fest was one of our most successful to date. We were so excited to host such an amazing group of vendors, connect with our community and spend time with friends. The music from Mackenzie Roark set the perfect atmosphere for our events, and it was great seeing face-painted kiddos bouncing around on the rafts provided by RVA Paddlesports.

Janie is a 30-year-old adventurer based around Richmond. She’s often referred to as the ‘poster girl’ of Beyond Boundaries because of her shining smile and her incredible ability to be up for literally any adventure, any time. She’s done it all, from climbing to white water rafting to skiing.

We’re so excited to preview our new brand video created by SIX10 Media right here! Thanks to Chris and team for helping us put this together!

After postponing the original date for 2023 because of heavy storms and wind, we’re proud to announce that our RIMBY (Right In My BackYard) festival will be kicking off in a little over 3 weeks.

It’s Women’s History Month! March is a time to recognize the contributions of women throughout history and celebrate their accomplishments in various fields. This year, we’re focusing on bringing more visibility to five incredible women with disabilities that had a huge impact on action sports, conservation, and the outdoors. These five women are truly just a small sampling of the amazing women everywhere that are literally changing the world on a daily basis.

Meet Kyle, co-founder of Beyond Boundaries and lover of the outdoors. Kyle and Shep worked together to create Beyond Boundaries 8 years ago with the goal of making the outdoors more accessible to everyone. Over the years Kyle has helped build Beyond Boundaries as a facilitator and supporter.

Travis is our Program Manager in Roanoke. As we’ve been expanding this year, we’ve been super excited to be able to start offering programming in places outside of the greater Richmond region. Travis is spearheading our Roanoke operations. He’s an experienced climber, paddler, and outdoor enthusiast and we’re super excited to have him lead trips the season and beyond!