Saying Farewell to Dawn Cooper, River Program Director
After nearly 5 years of service to the CCA community, River Programs Director, Dawn Cooper, will be leaving the CCA Team. We are so appreciative of the dedication and passion Dawn has put into her work at CCA and are sad to see her go, but look forward to seeing her personal business, Boneshaker Adventures, grow!
JOIN US AT Ramblebine Brewing ON Friday, February 18th TO CELEBRATE Dawn’s ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND TO SAY YOUR FAREWELLS (FOR NOW!). WE’LL BE GATHERING from ~5-7 PM for THE FINAL SEND-OFF.
A letter to the community, from Dawn cooper
When former Executive Director, Joe Neuhof asked me in the winter of 2017 to join Colorado Canyons Association to “start the river program” I had no idea how profoundly that decision would impact my life and our community.
During my time at CCA, I dedicated an immense portion of my life to transforming the river program from an ambitious idea into the educational powerhouse that it is today. I had no idea how difficult it would be to start a river program from scratch. How we would navigate through seemingly insurmountable challenges: rafting during one of the worst droughts in Colorado’s history, (literally) rebuilding the tents at Catalpa after a devastating derecho windstorm, creatively reimagining educational programing to get students outside in the midst of a global pandemic.
Although faced with many obstacles over the past four years, the river program is thriving. Since our first river trip in May 2018, we have taken over 2000 people rafting on the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers through Colorado’s three National Conservation Areas. We made improvements to the Catalpa property to make it safer and more accessible. We built a professional foundation for CCA’s river staff to excel as experiential educators. We have positively impacted the lives of countless students from Mesa, Delta, and Montrose counties. We have created and strengthened relationships with community leaders and partners which enrich our offerings and allow us to reach more students than ever before. We have created meaningful educational programs which serve as prototypes to be implemented in other parts of the country. The legacy of this program, and the relationships built through it, is powerful and longstanding.
While I will undoubtedly miss floating through the dramatic western Colorado landscape on those big yellow boats, I will remain an ardent supporter of CCA's meaningful work and look forward to future collaborations. Melding my deep-seeded love for the river with my passion for place-based education during my tenure at CCA has truly been one of the greatest personal and professional accomplishments of my life. I’m not going far. Leaving this role as River Program Director will allow me to continue serving the community in another capacity: providing transformative, growth-focused mountain bike programming through my business, Boneshaker Adventures. My roots are deeply planted in western Colorado.
Thank you everyone for your support on this journey. I hope you can join me in a farewell toast at Ramblebine Brewing Company on Thursday, February 18th. I would love the opportunity to thank you in person.