CRIS Adaptive Adventures has a vision of creating an inclusive world that is free of barriers, where anyone can enjoy nature and outdoor recreation.
Community Recreational Initiatives Society (CRIS) is a non-profit organization based out of Kelowna.
Made up of mainly volunteers, the charity uses adaptive equipment to assist people with physical and cognitive disabilities go on outdoor, year-round adventures.
Summer outings include hiking, cycling and kayaking, while winter offers sports like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Dawn Widdifield is the executive director at CRIS Adaptive Adventures. She says there are no limits when it comes to participating.
“There’s no age restrictions. We work with people with cognitive impairments, physical disabilities and emotional impairments that are barriers,” Widdifield said. “So we have people with quadriplegia for example; maybe they can’t move from the neck down, but we can take them kayaking.”
More than 150 volunteers a year help man the dozens of outings a month.
“It’s volunteer driven and it’s passion from the volunteers that makes us so successful at what we do,” Widdifield adds.
Volunteer Jillian Sader says everyone should be able to experience the therapeutic benefits of the outdoors, not just able-bodied people.
“The cool thing about kayaking is that when you’re on the lake, you can’t tell that someone has a disability. It all looks the same,” Sader said.
For more information on the organization, visit CRIS Adaptive Adventures.
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