[0:17] - 3, 2, 1. [0:20] Cut. [0:21] (Crowd cheering) [0:22] Wilderness Inquiry is a 47-year-old nonprofit organization, [0:25] and our mission is to connect people of all ages, [0:28] backgrounds, abilities, and identities to the health [0:31] and wellness benefits of the outdoors. [0:33] Since 1978, when we were first founded, started working [0:36] with people experiencing disability. [0:38] Over time, about the last 20 years [0:40] or so, we've also worked with America's youth who have, [0:43] for one reason or another, experienced barriers [0:45] to getting outdoors and [0:47] and being connected to the natural world. [0:49] - We offer multiple types of trips. [0:50] We offer extended trips where typically three [0:53] or five day overnight trips can even go up longer, [0:56] up to 14 days. [0:57] We also have our day and youth trips, [0:58] which typically are one day trips out on local waterways [1:02] or at local schools. [1:03] So, when participants book through us, [1:05] we don't wanna add extra financial burden on them. [1:07] So we provide everything from sleeping bags, sleeping pads, [1:10] to boots, to coats, to gloves, [1:12] anything anyone could possibly need to explore the outdoors. [1:15] We are very welcoming. [1:16] We have staff from all different backgrounds and abilities [1:19] and identities who are there [1:21] to support you throughout the entire duration of your trip, [1:23] even to get you out on your first hiking trip all the way up [1:26] to going on a five day boundary water expedition trip. [1:30] - I didn't know how to take my daughter [1:33] with a disability into the wilderness. [1:34] I was stumped. And so I called Greg Lais, [1:38] who started this a long time ago, [1:41] and a month later we went on a trip into [1:44] the White Otter Wilderness in Ontario. [1:47] And after that went on four more trips. [1:51] - We are just thrilled to be here in Bloomington, Minnesota. [1:54] It is a community that is [1:56] so robust in its multicultural vibe, [1:59] which is just really wonderful [2:00] for the audiences that we serve. [2:02] It's also just a amazing location that's really close [2:05] to the airport, as well as hundreds [2:07] of programming locations we have throughout the whole Twin [2:10] Cities metropolitan area. [2:12] So this has just been many years that we've been looking [2:15] for a new home and headquarters for Wilderness Inquiry. [2:18] - Wilderness Inquiry really has some very unique needs. [2:21] When we were looking for a space. Of course, [2:23] we have office staff that do all the behind the scenes work [2:26] that help make these adventures possible. [2:28] So we really needed about 10,000 square feet [2:31] of office space, [2:32] but our operation also requires an enormous [2:35] amount of infrastructure. [2:36] We have these big 20 foot canoes [2:38] that we take whole classrooms of students out in. [2:41] We call 'em our floating classrooms. [2:42] We really needed an outdoor space that had plenty [2:44] of parking, as well as a turning radius that we could use [2:47] to move our rigs around. [2:48] And with this great new space, [2:49] we also have a commercial kitchen, which allows us [2:51] to have a lot of volunteer opportunities here [2:54] to help prepare food for our trips. [2:56] So we looked long and hard for about five years [2:59] and found this gem [3:00] of a property here in Bloomington in this very vibrant [3:03] neighborhood that just really fit the bill perfectly. [3:06] - You know, when we have been looking at the strategic plan [3:09] for the Port Authority, one of the things that we realized [3:12] is we've done a lot for the big businesses, [3:14] things like the Mall and Bloomington Central Station [3:18] and things, but we really didn't have the facility [3:21] or focus on handling the, the needs of a lot [3:23] of smaller companies and things coming in. [3:26] And we really, I think, [3:27] have made an effort in the last couple years to emphasize [3:30] that and say, we want you here. [3:32] This facade improvement program isn't a lot of money, [3:35] but I think it's something that can help people, tell them [3:38] we're interested that we want to do these things. [3:39] So overall, I'm very pleased. [3:42] - The City of Bloomington, the Port Authority, the Chamber [3:45] of Commerce, have all been so incredibly supportive [3:49] of Wilderness Inquiry's move to this new home. [3:52] Even the planning department has been super helpful with [3:54] helping us really tailor this new facility [3:57] to meet our specific needs. [3:59] And so we're just really very grateful to the city [4:01] of Bloomington for all they've done [4:02] to make this such a welcoming place for us to land. [4:05] - The world has never needed Wilderness Inquiry more [4:08] than we need it right now. [4:10] So that's why I'm here. I'll do anything I can physically [4:13] or mentally do to ensure that Wilderness Inquiry lives way [4:18] beyond me. [4:20] - The best way for people to find more information about [4:22] Wilderness Inquiry is to go on our [4:24] website at wildernessinquiry.org [4:26] and you can explore all the different opportunities we have [4:28] either for volunteering, donating, or traveling with us.