We started 2024 excited to celebrate our ten-year anniversary, but life had other plans. On January 19, 2024, an automobile accident claimed the life of our Adventure Coordinator, Tara Gluski. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her family, friends, and everyone who knew her. When we lose someone we love, it’s normal to ask what we could have done. I did it for a couple days and decided I (we) must do something different. We must move forward and dedicate our energy not to what we could have done but to what we can do – honor Tara, and ensure her memory, and impact lives on.
To that end, I want you to know our team is ready to dig in and continue her work. Here’s a list of people stepping up, what they will be doing, and a way to contact them if you have questions or need help.
Youth Adventure Teams/Communication/Questions (Volunteers, Families)
Julie Cunningham
Sponsorships, Grants, Donations
Leslie Phillips
Accounts Payable – Bookkeeping Questions
Gear Store Questions
Questions regarding Events (Polar Roll, The Crusher, Marji Gesick), New Adventure Teams, Organizational Inquiries
Todd Poquette
Submitting EX event results: Send event results to this email
Nicky Bates
I sat down with Elizabeth Peterson on the TV6 Morning Show. We talked about Tara’s impact on our community, how we plan to move forward, and what’s planned for this year. You can check it out here.
One last thing. At some point in the near future, we will look to bring another employee into the team to support our growth, not to replace Tara, but rather to carry on the mission with us. Adventure Coordinator, the title Tara held for five years, will be retired. There will never be another Tara, and therefore, there will never be another Adventure Coordinator.
Todd Poquette
Director of Adventure
Ten more years for Tara… I want everyone to understand we’re gonna honor Tara forever, not just ten years.
I want us to look forward instead of looking back. Let’s look at what we can do instead of what we could have done.
Let’s lead by example. That’s what she always did. That’s what she would do if it had been one of us.