In the Sunshine State, there’s no shortage of outdoor attractions, but many of us take our ability to easily enjoy Florida’s natural beauty for granted. Nearly three million Florida residents need more assistance to enjoy the outdoors. Friends of Seminole State Forest is introducing a new program to help make one of Florida’s beautiful forests more accessible to those who are mobility impaired.
Friends of Seminole State Forest is a public, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, direct support group for the forest that is entirely dependent on volunteers and donations. After two years of discussions with the Florida State Forest Service, the organization has received approval to establish the first tracked chair program in the 38-state forest system.
The new program will be fully functional on March 3, 2023 and will give mobility-impaired persons the opportunity to enjoy all the wonders, and benefits, of hiking in the forest.
“This program is all about making dreams come true,” said George Koutsakis, president of Friends of Seminole State Forest. “We’re excited to give more people the opportunity to explore the Seminole State Forest, but we can’t do it without the help of volunteers.”
Every year on Super Bowl Sunday, Friends of Seminole State Forest holds its largest fundraising event “Run for the Woods.” This year, for the first time, a group of mobility-impaired persons will navigate the same 5k course as the runners in EcoRover Chairs.
Shannon Keim has participated in Run for the Woods for several years, and her mobility-impaired daughter, Skyler, always cheers her on. The family was thrilled when Skyler was invited to participate in this year’s event in a tracked chair.
“It’ll be a dream come true to have Skyler by my side thanks to Friends of Seminole State Forest and EcoRover Chair. She is going to be so excited!” said Keim.
Friends of Seminole State Forest have answered the call to make outdoor exploration more accessible, and now it’s calling on you to help as well. Volunteers are asked to help two days a month and are needed to assist with registration, accompany the EcoRover chair users on the trail and perform trail maintenance as needed. In addition to the volunteers needed to run the tracked chair program on a regular basis, the organization is also searching for volunteers to help with the upcoming Run for the Woods.
The new tracked chair program is without cost to the State Forest System, state taxpayers or the users of the EcoRover Chairs to hike the trails. This program is being offered to the mobility impaired every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year (holidays excluded) on a reservation basis, at no cost.
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