A hometown organization GTG Outdoors has a mission to help fund and provide outdoor adventure experiences to support the well-being of those who are underrepresented in Central Texas. The effort that GTG Outdoors has put into taking young people to parks and fun nature areas of their own city is very apparent. One of their newest programs is Family Around the Fire which aims to get families of color outdoors and teach camping skills, they recently had their first camping trip at Inks Lake State Park and are continuing the program with support from the National Recreation Foundation. GTG also hosted the first Keep Waco Outdoors Expo this fall and plans to continue to bring this great resource to help families in the area find their way of connecting with nature. A major aspect of their work is that all of their programs are open to anyone in the community, no matter their economic status.

Since 2021 GTG has been a passion for its founders and they are always looking for innovative ways to fund the work, through grant funding and cost-sharing of programs. One of their biggest successes has been engaging youth beyond elementary school in their middle and high school programs. Gabe, their founder, feels that the trust GTG has been able to build over the years with families is key to their work because they are asking a lot of families to go remote camping, sometimes for the first time. He also feels that a key component of this is the amazing community support the organization has received from the Waco area.

When asked how we as TCiNN can help support GTG’s work he shared that sharing the opportunities available through GTG Outdoors to families is always a huge support.