Partner Feature: Tom Wilcox

Community support is a vital component of accomplishing our mission. With partners like Tom Wilcox, Director of Engagement at the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources we’re able to provide more adventures, build our community, and support our participants. However, the magic really happens when our partners are able to experience their own shifts in perspective and grow alongside us. Our longtime partner, advocate, and friend Tom, is the perfect example of this. 

Tom has been a dedicated supporter of Beyond Boundaries since first being introduced to Shep. From helping us secure funding to connecting us with other groups in the community and joining us on adventures, Tom has been a dedicated pillar of our programming and has worked hard to help Beyond Boundaries grow. As he nears his retirement from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, we wanted to take a moment to thank him and shine the spotlight on his journey with us.

As we begin telling Tom’s story, it’s important to understand a guiding principle of his worldview.

“I live serendipitously. I may want something, but I’ve learned to notice and appreciate what it is that I get and to make the most of that,” he says.

Tom talks about how meeting Shep reminds him of a job he used to have in high school. “When I lived in Charleston, WV as a high school student, I worked with adults in rehab, and meeting Shep brought all of those emotions and memories back to me,”

“I met Tom at Vasen Brewery's 1 year anniversary party. He was managing the Wildlife Grant program and I was giving a presentation about Beyond Boundaries with my co-founder Kyle.  At the time, Beyond Boundaries was not my full-time job. My full-time job was with Virginia Outside, and we (VO) had just received a grant from the Wildlife Grant program, which is what brought Tom and me together. Once we connected, that was it, I had a new great friend,” says Shep.

After their initial meeting, Tom and Shep took up regular conversations and Shep invited Tom out for a fishing trip, which is where the power of our mission really began to take hold in Tom.

“My first trip was with Beyond Boundaries and The Faison School. Shep took me fishing with their group and the owner of Richmond Ford, Ron Cody. Fishing with Beyond Boundaries was also the first time that my wife had ever gone fishing. We fished at Shields Lake for a few hours. The whole time, I was just amazed at Shep’s ability with the participants,” he says.

Although Tom had a great time fishing, he left the trip trepidatious and with more questions for Shep. “ For me, there was a barrier– I was having a hard time connecting with the participants. I realized that I was being self-conscious and was having a hard time getting around the disability. I shared that with Shep and he told me to go home that weekend and watch Love on the Spectrum on Netflix with my wife. It really helped me click and realize that I could just engage with the participants the same way I did with anyone else. I saw the range of emotions, experienced their feelings and it really shifted my perception,” he says.

Tom continued to join us on trips as often as he could and began helping to create a lasting partnership with Beyond Boundaries and Virginia DWR.

“Tom is a connector. It's almost impossible to find Tom not in a good mood and ready to hang out! (I actually don't believe I've witnessed that before.) Tom loves to meet people, connect with people, and always thinks about 'what's possible'.  He is an advocate for the Beyond Boundaries community. He has helped Beyond Boundaries raise thousands of dollars to provide opportunities, and he has volunteered on countless occasions. I've seen Tom create beautiful friendships within the community,” Shep says.

“At DWR we think about the outdoors as being accessible to all. What Beyond Boundaries does and the reason we support them is because they already do that within our community. It allows us to come alongside Beyond Boundaries and multiply our own impact within their relationships and skill sets. The partnership is so complimentary, it just works perfectly,” Tom explains.

Tom has also found ways to incorporate individuals with disabilities into other work and events within DWR. He speaks more about how those first trips were so formative, and really mindset-changing, shifting his outlook on how he engages with people with disabilities.

“In 2021, DWR hosted a huge fishing conference for the southeast. After my work with Beyond Boundaries, it made so much sense with me to partner with an autism school in the area to bring their students into the conference to partner with DWR and help us manage the event. Working with Beyond Boundaries has shifted my thinking and made me think more about how I can be more inclusive in my actions and work. It’s really given me a new way of thinking, which is something I’ve brought back to DWR as an organization,” he says.

“Tom can not be recreated.  There is only one (and maybe for good reason). The world would be better off with more Tom's in it, but I have yet to meet anybody like Tom. You know sometimes you meet people and think, they should write a book! Well, Tom should write a book. He gets the bigger picture. He sees what's miles down the road and understands the path to get there. Tom gives you his energy because he sees something in you that maybe not everyone can notice. He can get along with everyone. Tom is the guy who would give you the shirt off his back. (I've actually seen him do that before),” Shep says.

“Tom is quick and funny, and always goofing around. That energy makes every program he visits super fun and lively. The participants light up around him, and he is a true advocate for the outdoors. He has enhanced our programs with fish charts and DWR swag, he's awesome!” says Katie.

We are so honored to have partnered with Tom for so many years and are going to sorely miss his visits as he transitions into retirement. Tom has been a pillar for our community and we are forever grateful for his dedication, work, and energy. We hope to see Tom on even more fishing trips now that he’s retired and can’t wait to see what he does next!

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