Volunteering with Outdoor Explorations

A couple months ago, the entire Care.com staff closed the office and spent the day volunteering with Outdoor Explorations. OE is an organization, based here in Massachusetts, which helps give kids with disabilities access to outdoor adventures. It's actually the only New England-based outdoor education provider that designs its programs to include all ages and abilities. Every year, OE takes over 2,000 people on multi-day trips and one-day clinics where participants get to kayak, backpack, sail, rock climb, raft, and snowshoe. OE also coordinates volunteer programs in the Boston area.

We participated in one of their "Wildworks" programs and helped clean up Stony Brook Reservation—a 475-acre, state-run nature preserve. It's a place that OE visits often, but the park's facilities had fallen into disrepair. Hardworking Care.com employees helped cover graffiti, landscape, and clean part of the park. Check out these photos from the event!

"I helped repaint a graffiti-covered fence. Helping to make a place open and inviting to others was quite an experience. It's easy to forget that things we take for granted—like walking in the woods—aren't always accessible for everyone." Zenoo, Marketing

"As a team member, I was involved in getting rid of graffiti by repainting the walls. Transforming the site and moving it one step closer to becoming a place where kids can have a good time with their families gave me a great sense of accomplishment." – Shashank, Tech

"During our community service day with OE, I worked with Care.com colleagues and other volunteers to paint a large, wooden maze and water fountain, remove overgrown weeds, and help remove rubbish and broken glass from the park. It was gratifying to see how large an impact we made and how different the park looked afterward." Stephen, IT


"I worked with a great team of people of all abilities to demolish an outdoor barbeque grill that had become a danger and an eyesore to the beautiful park picnic area. It took a while, but in the end, the grill was no match for our sledgehammers and determination!" – Mike, Member Care


"I spent the day with OE demolishing an old, broken-down grill with an awesome volunteer team. It's always great to give back to the community, and preserving green space in urban areas is vitally important." Rob, Tech

 
The whole Care Team after a long day's effort.

If you or someone you know would be interested in attending an Outdoor Exploration event or volunteering their time, check out their website for more info.