Volunteer of the Year– Lisa
Chances are; if you’ve been on a trip with Beyond Boundaries you’ve encountered the smiling face and boisterous energy of our 2022 Volunteer of the Year–Lisa. Lisa’s energy, relentless dedication to Beyond Boundaries, and great attitude are a part of what makes our trips so special. She’s always willing to dive in and has even been whitewater-certified to further support us on trips. When she’s not joining us on adventures, Lisa works at Radford University, fishes, and explores Virginia’s numerous wildlife management areas.
Lisa became involved with BB a few years ago. “Tom Wilcox of DWR connected me with BB after having a conversation during one of our brainstorming sessions about DWR and WMA’s. I told him that I wanted to volunteer with an organization that let me take my love of outdoor recreation and share my passion with groups that were either underrepresented or didn’t have access to the types of things that I loved to do,” she explains.
Since joining, she’s gone on dozens of trips, helping our participants find adventure and overcome fears. “White water rafting is 100% my favorite trip to go on. In particular, it’s the trips with DBVI that are my absolute favorite. They are the most meaningful and memorable experiences that I have had with Beyond Boundaries, and I always request to go,” says Ghidotti.
From learning how to rig fishing rods to expanding her kayaking skills, Lisa has gone above and beyond to support our trips. This summer, she completed the RVA Paddlesports fall line mastery class–making herself a skilled whitewater kayaker.
Working with Beyond Boundaries has given Lisa an outlet and a place to continue contributing to her community. She is an active hiker and is in the process of exploring every WMA in Virginia. An avid outdoor enthusiast, it was important to her to find a way to make the outdoors more accessible.
“Volunteering with Beyond Boundaries is near and dear to my heart, and sharing my passion for the outdoors is extraordinarily meaningful and gives me purpose. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of a vibrant community collaborating to empower people through outdoor adventure and championing access and inclusion for individuals of all abilities,” she says.
Because Beyond Boundaries offers a wide range of opportunities, we often work with volunteers interested in one or two specific activities. Of course, this is awesome, and we love all of the volunteers. Occasionally, however, we’re gifted with people like Lisa who are willing to go all in and step out of their comfort zones to join us on every type of adventure.
“It's hard to describe my feeling of joy seeing beaming smiles as someone catches (and kisses) a fish, tackles rapids surrounded by nature and the downtown skyline, spots wildlife during nature hikes, and spends time on the river pontooning. It's humbling and fulfilling, and I am inspired by the people we serve to challenge myself and try new things,” she says.
As our Adventure Guides program was introduced and began evolving this year, Lisa was also at the forefront of providing us feedback to help streamline things like volunteer signups and communications.
“Lisa is a great volunteer for many reasons, but if I had to narrow it down to one, she loves to learn as much as she loves to share her passions with others. She has a very busy job and makes it a priority to take her adventures, but she still jumps at any chance to volunteer with Beyond Boundaries. That to me shows how special our mission is to her, and it’s why I feel she is so special to Beyond Boundaries.”
We want to extend a huge thank you to Lisa for her hard work and dedication. As well, thank you to all of our volunteers. You’re part of what makes Beyond Boundaries so special.
Interested in volunteering? Sign up here.