Outdoor Discovery Day: Matching People, Places, and the Gear to Get Outside

What a beautiful day to be outside! 🌞

On Sunday, July 12, we set up under the pavilion at Channing H. Philbrick Park in Penfield for Outdoor Discovery Day and spent the afternoon doing one of our favorite things: helping people find the gear, the places, and the partners that make getting outside possible.

Outdoor Discovery Day, hosted by RAA’s Inclusion Partner, Genesee Land Trust, provides a chance to try out the adaptive and inclusive equipment that already exists right here in our region. There’s tech for trails, birding, sledding, kayaking, cycling, and more – and the whole point is to put your hands on it, ask questions, and picture yourself out there. We were happy to join with Endless Highway and Abilities Movement to help connect people to the equipment they have available.

Mike, from Abilities Movement (in back) shows a family how to use the Huckleberry Hiker

The goal: match the gear to the people, and the people to the places

Equipment on its own doesn’t get anyone outside. What a good match consists of is the right piece of gear, a person who wants to use it, and a place that’s ready and expecting them. That’s the connection we live to make, and it’s exactly what these community partners are ready to help you with.

Anita tried out the GRIT Freedom Chair, an all-terrain manual chair built to roll right over the grass, gravel, and dirt that stops so many standard chairs at the trailhead. Seeing someone settle in, take hold, and realize “I could actually go there” – that’s the moment these days are made for.

Anita takes the GRIT Freedom all-terrain chair for a spin.

Our Inclusion Partners are expecting YOU

Our Inclusion Partners came ready to connect, share what they offer, and welcome people outdoors. Huge thanks to Genesee Valley Audubon Society for sharing with guests about wonderful birding community opportunities, and to Genesee Land Trust for orchestrating the event! Make sure you check out the LONG list of outdoor entities ready to welcome you!

• ADK Ultra Cycling
• Capt LJ Tomboy Adventures
• Elevator Alley Kayak
• Erie Canal Boat Company
• Hudson Crossing Park
• Mohawk Maiden Cruises
• Montezuma Audubon Center
• NYS DEC (Accessible Recreation Map!)
• Perinton Recreation & Parks
• Rochester By Water
• Stony Point Art Studio (outdoor workshops!)
• Victor Parks & Recreation

Check out our DirectConnect Resource Guide for handy links and printables!

In the shade of the pavilion, scheming about more accessible community spaces.

The real story was the conversations

We got so deep into good conversations that we barely stopped to take pictures. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Under the pavilion, a group got to scheming about how to make more of our community recreation destinations accessible. We met new families just starting to explore what’s out there, and we caught up with longtime friends who’ve been part of this work for years.

That mix of new faces and familiar ones, plus gear to try and partners ready to welcome you, is what an inclusive recreation community actually looks like. It’s not a single program on a single day. It’s a whole network of people and places saying: come on out, we’ve been expecting you.

Want to find your match?

If you’re wondering what’s possible for you or someone you love, that’s what we’re here for. Reach out to RAA’s DirectConnect and we’ll help connect you with the equipment, the partners, and the places ready to welcome you outdoors.

Let’s #MakeInclusionHappen in the outdoors!