Volunteer of the Year: Christina Buccigrossi
It’s no secret that we love our volunteers. Every year, dozens of people take time out of their busy schedules to volunteer with us, sharing their passion for adventure and the outdoors. Without our volunteers, Beyond Boundaries wouldn’t be what it is today. That being said, every year there are a few volunteers that go above and beyond, dedicating themselves to our mission and supporting our team on trips. This year, we’re proud to recognize Christina Buccigrossi as one of our two volunteers of the year.
Christina is an avid paddler and was an incredible asset during the 2023 summer season. Despite a busy job as a procurement analyst with the Department of the Navy and living over an hour away, she still made time to join us on several trips, greatly supporting our paddling and kayaking programs.
“A couple of summers ago I decided to try white water paddle boarding and I found the James River– long story short, I took a swift water rescue class with RVA Paddlesports. After taking the class I figured out that RVA Paddlesports also partnered with Beyond Boundaries. I was feeling personally driven to want to be outdoors a lot more and saw volunteering with Beyond Boundaries as a great way to do that while helping others,” says Christina.
Her passion for white water paddling brought her to Richmond often and volunteering with Beyond Boundaries was a natural fit to get her on the water more while sharing her passion with others.
“I’m really fascinated with Beyond Boundaries because you take people who wouldn’t be able to enjoy the outdoors in the same way we would and provide the joy and happiness that they may not be able to get on their own. I really find that amazing, it blows my mind that you’re able to take populations like that of the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) white water rafting. Seeing it and being a part of it is so rewarding,” she explains.
Christina became an incredible asset for us this summer, with her experience on the James and a Swift Water Rescue Certification, she was the perfect person to help us run rafting trips with our different groups.
“Christina’s a great volunteer because you can see she really loves and lives the mission of Beyond Boundaries! She’s always kind, patient, and a joy to have on adventures. Her love of the outdoors is contagious and participants can learn that through her,” Says Program Director (Chief of Stoke), Katie.
Christina claims that without the support of the Beyond Boundaries team, she wouldn’t have chosen to be as involved.
“Katie and Alek really allow volunteers to be a part of the trip and do a lot to inform us about what we’re going to be doing and how to handle it. They give us a lot of background and support which makes me comfortable going out on these trips with these groups. I feel empowered to engage and help because the Beyond Boundaries team gives us the information we need to help,” Buccigrossi states.
Volunteering with Beyond Boundaries has given Christina a new outlook on paddling- seeing others overcome their challenges has driven her to want to paddle more, go further, and of course, share her passion with Beyond Boundaries.
“I really enjoyed the trips that I did with DBVI– those two were very special for me. Just how we all interacted with the participants in the rafts. I honestly feel like I’m in my element a bit more when I’m working with the participants– I really feel driven to make sure they have a great experience,” she says.
We think it’s awesome that paddling with groups like DBVI motivates our volunteers to do even more and we’re so grateful for that. Thank you to all of our volunteers and congratulations to Christina!
Interested in volunteering? Visit our site.