Mission & History
Our goal is to connect kids with nature, educate them about it, help them feel comfortable with it, and foster a sense of stewardship for it.
Providing kids with confidence and independence through shared adventures.
SOAC was founded in 1995 by local legend Gary Williams as a summer adventure organization for kids 10-13. We did 3, 4, and 5 day camping/biking trips. That first summer we had about 8 kids. Since that time, the summer program has grown to serve about 75 kids each summer, and we have also added a year-round element and a bicycle repair/recycling program. SOAC takes classes, during the school day, on nature hikes, snowshoeing, team-building and boating. We have a 33 ft long canoe for whole classes of very young students and a 20 ft row boat in which 10 can row at a time, plus a fleet of 10 kayaks, two canoes and 4 paddle boards. We primarily work with Reedsburg students, but we also provide trips for Baraboo, Sauk Prairie, Ithaca, Wonewoc, Weston and other Sauk County schools. We work with homeschool groups and other community groups as well. We now serve about 3,000 students per year.