Each month we have special outings. The goal of these is to get the kids out of the neighborhood, out of the comfort zone, and maybe teach them something useful. This can also create a special time for the staff and volunteers of Urban Connections to connect with the kids in a comfortable, fun way.
These events have included hiking, canoeing and ice skating, as well as trips to pumpkin patches, COSI and farms. We are always looking for chaperones for these trips (it's a great way for you to "get your feet wet" with the kids). We're also open to creative ideas for where to take kids.
Finally, we take some kids on our "ultimate special outing" in the summers on our annual camping trip. We have white-water rafted in West Virginia, boated in Kentucky, visited Niagara Falls, and most recently spent a day at King's Island. This is usually a 4 day trip, mostly out of state, where we tent-camp and cook on a campfire. Many of our kids know the value now of not taking food into the tent, and how good it is to sleep in a dry sleeping bag (even if the ground is hard) compared to one that's been in the rain for a whole day.