SEASON OF SHARING

Editor’s note: The Ouray County Plaindealer started publishing profiles of nonprofits between Thanksgiving and New Year’s in 2020 as a community service.

The purpose of these profiles is to highlight the meaningful work being performed by these organizations and let the community know how they can help them even more, as the holidays approach and we reach the end of 2023. Nonprofit organizations that are based in Ouray County and serve Ouray County are eligible for these profiles.

Year established as a nonprofit: 1997

What does your organization do for Ouray County?

Voyager’s mission is to inspire Ouray County’s youth to achieve healthy lives. We work in partnership with schools and the community to create an environment in which youth will succeed. We focus on social emotional skill building with preschoolers, experiential learning with elementary age children and positive youth development with teens. Voyager’s overarching goal is to build youth’s strengths and provide opportunities that will help them achieve goals and transition to adulthood in a productive, healthy manner.

What do you list as your greatest accomplishments in 2023?

Voyager has offered after school and summer enrichment programs for elementary-age children since 1997. In January 2023 we extended them to early childhood (3 to 4 year-old children). Our teen programming has expanded to include multiday summer adventures, meaningful leadership opportunities (attending regional conferences), and consistent community service opportunities with Peace Jam, a volunteer program involving Ridgway Secondary School.

What are some goals or projects you have planned for 2024?

In 2024, we plan to grow our Early Childhood Program and continue to build on our existing enrichment programs. We plan to strengthen our Teen Leadership Committee by attending the Colorado Youth Diversity Conference in Denver this winter. We look forward to building more community relationships and collaborations locally and regionally.

Tell us how the community can help you do more here in Ouray County.

Voyager is looking to raise $3,000 to take our teens to a leadership conference in Denver this winter. We are looking for volunteers to work with teens during our summer Adventure Wednesday trips. Visit voyageryouth.org to donate, see our programs, learn more and contact us for volunteer opportunities. You can also email general@voyageryouth.org or call 970-626-4279.

Thank you to Alex Durham for providing this information.