Catching Up With CAT, 15th Year Edition: Tia Coats
Welcome back to the 15th Anniversary Edition of Catching Up With CAT! We're bringing you this special series to reflect, honor, and celebrate our first fifteen years as an organization. We will share reflections on 2023 –- a year of both extraordinary challenges and remarkable growth for CAT, the fifteen years that led us here, and our most dear and heartfelt dreams for the next fifteen years and beyond.
Last week, Laura, our Director of Programs, shared her journey with CAT since becoming part of the team in 2013. Her heartfelt reflections not only emphasized the significance of our work but also underscored the deep sense of community we're building. We hope her story offered you a glimpse of the moments of joy and heartbreak that are intricately woven into the fabric of CAT's history.
Bringing us the second installment in this special series, today's Catching Up With CAT is brought to you by Tia, one of our incredible Program Staff. Thank you for journeying with us through 15 years of CAT. If you'd like to join us in making the next 15 years even more impactful, make a gift today and help us enter 2024 stronger than ever.
This Week’s Catch Up
"Not only is my leadership at CAT an inspiration to young people in my community who rarely see people who look like them reflected in outdoor adventure, but it is also a part of changing the face of leadership in the larger adventure therapy community."
I have been involved with CAT for almost 10 years. I started off as a participant at a young 14 years old. I was first introduced to CAT by one of their partner agencies and was offered to attend a 7-day camping trip. If I am being honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. During the trip, I was introduced to one of my favorite sports: kayaking. If you know me, then you know that at that time I didn’t care for kayaking AT ALL. As I kept at it and developed my skills, I grew to love paddling and being on the water. Before I knew it, I was the youngest paddling coach in the country and secured an internship at CAT. But It wasn’t the sport that kept me coming back, it was the sense of community and the non-judgmental environment. Everyone was so welcoming and respected all the boundaries I had and let me tell you, I had a lot. However, that never stopped CAT from including me in all activities, important conversations, fun, and group excursions.
Being at CAT has made quite an impact on my life. I'd always been a leader growing up but being involved with CAT has taught me how to be an exceptional leader in too many ways for me to count - especially in my community. Being raised by a southern family who was a part of the great migration to Chicago, it was instilled in me from a very young age to make a positive impact in my community, no matter how big or small, like those who came before me. Though it is a lot easier said than done, one of CAT’s best qualities is that it allows me to make that impact while still being true to myself. Not only is my leadership at CAT an inspiration to young people in my community who rarely see people who look like them reflected in outdoor adventure, but it is also a part of changing the face of leadership in the larger adventure therapy community. CAT has never shied away from establishing its own norms: those who make up CAT’s community come from all different walks of life and cultures. From our very diverse staff down to the different ethnicities of clients we work with.
As much as CAT has helped me grow, it has grown with me as well. See, when I first started at CAT we were working out of Andrea's home. Boats were in her backyard, gear was in her basement, and staff meetings were held in her dining room. Now, we have a huge warehouse space that stores all of our gear and each of our staff has their own workspace. We went from traveling miles in Andrea’s Subaru to now having two 12-passenger vans. I am very proud and lucky to be a part of this growth. Though we have a lot to keep us humble, we have so much more to be proud of.
We couldn’t do this alone. I would like to take the time to thank our founder, every donor, volunteer, partner organization, and past or present staff member for making this the exceptional organization that it is today. In the next 15 years, I would love to see Chicago Adventure Therapy grow so much bigger; I would like us to be involved in more communities and even one day become a community center for the entire city. To do that, we need your help. As we approach the end of the year, we hope you consider making a gift to CAT to support our visions and dreams for the next 15 years and beyond. And if you’re not able to make a financial contribution, reach out to us to learn more about opportunities to volunteer with CAT. For all of the ways that you make our work possible, thank you.
