Adventures Without Limits turns 30

Adventures Without Limits, a Forest Grove-based nonprofit serving children and adults with accessible outdoor programs, is turning 30.

"We specialize in working with individuals with disabilities to find adaptive solutions for a range of activities," the group's website notes.

To celebrate the three-decade milestone, Adventures Without Limits will host an anniversary celebration at Hagg Lake at the Sain Creek Pavilion on Friday, August 1 from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for the event are $15 for adults, $10 for youth, and free for those 5 and under.

Kayaking and paddle boarding tours are available for a suggested $20 donation.

Music, and games are on the schedule, with catering by Miget’s Island Grill for dinner.

Founder Brad Bafaro told News in the Grove that what is known today as Adventures Without Limits grew from the Community Based Activities Program, a summer program nonprofit still working in Forest Grove for kids with and without disabilities in an inclusive setting. That organization was founded in 1990.

The summer program went so well, Bafaro said, that five years later, they launched Adventures Without Limits. At the time, Bafaro was a special education teacher in the Forest Grove School District. Bafaro was also a member of the Forest Grove School Board until July 1 of this year.

"We said in '95, 'why don't we just run it year-round and include all kids and all adults and start providing services in terms of outdoor experiences in an inclusive setting,'" he said.

A few grants later, they were in business.

"Thirty years later, [we've grown and are] serving people all over the Portland Metro area and Forest Grove," he said.

The Adventures Without Limits website lists more than a dozen organizations it says are just a few of the groups it works with, among them the Forest Grove High School, Forest Grove Community School, Adelante Mujeres, and the Virginia Garcia Wellness Center.

At the time, the district was shifting away from self-contained classrooms for students with disabilities, Bafaro said.

"We were trying to create an inclusive school district," he said. "It made a lot of sense."

Bafaro has a passion for the outdoors, and used his weekends and vacations to launch the program.

The program has grown from a handful of initial outdoor experiences to dozens of outdoor trips designed to meet the needs of anyone who wants to spend time in the outdoors.

Today, participants can enjoy white water rafting, kayaking, canoeing, snowshoeing, rock climbing, hiking, cross-country skiing and more.

"I always had a vision that these types of specialized programs, where kids and adults are in the outdoors, I always envisioned that there would come a time where all programs were supportive of people with disabilities in terms of service in the outdoors," he said.

His hope was that Adventures Without Limits could support those programs.

While he sees things moving in that direction, and noted their numerous community partner organizations, that reality isn't quite here yet.

A lot of that is just making sure that things are accessible," he said.

"I feel really good about where we've come from," Bafaro added. "I'm really proud of what we've done in Forest Grove, and in partnership with the Forest Grove School District, in partnership with the city and in partnership with Pacific."

It hasn't been a one-man show. It's been a real partnership," he said.

Find out more about the organization on their website.