On behalf of the staff and Board of Directors at Trekkers, I wanted to share our deepest thanks to outgoing board members Doug Erickson (Treasurer) and Kamryn Prior (Student Board Member) for their years of service, after some of the most challenging years to steward such a critical organization to our community.

Doug has served on the Board since 2014, and his leadership and smart, strategic planning have been instrumental in ensuring that Trekkers’ balance sheet is as strong and steady as our commitment to mentoring young people. Trekkers was able to find and finance the purchase of its own campus on Old County Road, after years of renting office spaces in the towns it serves. This decision has lasting impacts – including tying Trekkers to the community and making it possible for the organization to build equity over time. When the pandemic arrived, Doug, along with the Board and Finance Committee, helped make the difficult but critical decision to
lower and maintain annual dues for families and ensure a scholarship was available to all families. Trekkers programs paused only for one week before resuming a virtual and hybrid schedule throughout that Spring into the following Summer, Fall and Winter. Thank you, Doug for being a fearless and incomparable leader – you’ve given us the tools to focus on doing what’s right and helping us grow! We are so very grateful to you – and so thankful that you’ll continue to serve on the Finance Committee.

Kamryn (Kami) has served on the board as an 11th and 12th grade student, joining at a moment of extreme uncertainty. Youth members have long been essential to the Trekkers board, rooting us in the student experience and bridging generational divides. Kami has been an important part of the Board, especially through her service on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. She has helped the DEI Committee with planning and decisions, like issuing a pledge against racism and bias, developing a gender policy, and identifying training needs with external Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultants. Kami has demonstrated leadership, shared her voice and unique perspective, continued to volunteer as a mentor to younger students, and has been a constant inspiration for how to show up and adapt with a calm and centered outlook. Thank you, Kami!

About Trekkers

For over 25 years, non-profit organization Trekkers has helped young people cultivate their own inherent strengths, through the power of long-term mentoring relationships. Research shows its unique, six-year mentoring and expeditionary learning program helps increase resiliency, connection to community, and aspirations for their future. Learn more or get involved! Visit Trekkers’ website at trekkers.org.