Common Ground Outdoor Adventures provides outdoor experiences for people of all ages with mental, cognitive, and physical disabilities. Program director SaQuoyah Boxx said the organization focuses on adaptive recreation.
“We adapt any sort of outdoor activity to meet either the physical or cognitive needs of those participating with us, whether that is an adaptive piece of equipment for somebody who is missing a leg and wants to go skiing, or whether that's somebody with a sensory processing disorder that needs a different approach to learning something,” Boxx said.
Boxx said they provide recreation year-round for people ages 3 to 99. Day and multi-day trips involve activities like skiing, snowboarding, dogsledding, cycling, canoeing, rock climbing, archery, and rafting. Boxx said the support of local businesses in the community allows Common Ground to offer these opportunities at an accessible price.
Program Manager Casey Prentice said that on Friday January 24th Common Ground will host professional wheelchair basketball athlete and Paralympic monoskier Orlando Perez.
“We're gonna have Orlando come in and talk about his experience as a Paralympic athlete and a professional para-athlete. And our goal is really to raise awareness about what adaptive sport, how you can get involved with us, and how we can help you reach your goals in adaptive sport,” Prentice said.
On Saturday January 25th, you can join Perez and Common Ground on the slopes of Beaver Mountain Ski Resort. Prentice says they’ll have a fleet of adaptive ski equipment available. If you can’t catch them this Winter, Boxx says in June you can take a spin on one of five new adaptive bikes they recently purchased thanks to a $30,000 Move United cycling grant. The event will be held at Black Hawk park in Logan, date to be announced later in the year.
Visit Common Ground's Website for more information.
