SCARBOROUGH — Laragh Kavanaugh as the new executive director for the organization for Ketcha Outdoors.
Laragh brings over 20 years of leadership experience to the role of executive director, both as an outdoor educator and as a director at an international nonprofit. From guiding youth wilderness expeditions for Outward Bound, to leading international programs in India and Ghana, to directing operations for Maine-based Council on International Educational Exchange, Laragh’s breadth of nonprofit management and youth development experience will serve Ketcha’s community well, an organization press release states.
“Ketcha Outdoors plays an important role in our community and builds caring, confident youth who respect the natural world,” Kavanaugh said. “I am committed to delivering safe and high-quality programming, enhancing communication and building inclusive communities,” she added. “Having grown up in Maine and since becoming a parent, I understand the positive impact the natural world has on youth and how important access to quality outdoor programs is to Maine families and communities.”
Since 1964, Ketcha Outdoors has provided kids of all ages with deep connections to the land, a vibrant community, and the confidence to create their sense of place in the world, according to the release. This year-round nonprofit outdoor education organization is most well known in the community as Camp Ketcha in Scarborough. Sitting on 107 acres of meadows, forest, streams, and wetlands, the Scarborough location offers a summer day camp, preschool and pre-k programs, after school care, and other nature-based youth programming. Equally important to its mission is the Portland Gear Hub, a nonprofit bike and outdoor gear shop in downtown Portland, which increases equitable access to the outdoors through affordable, reliable gear, and education. The Gear Hub offers free earn-a-bike programming to youth and adults, teaches bike maintenance classes, and sells refurbished bikes, camping gear, and XC skis.
Ketcha Outdoors board President Jay Evans said “having received over 70 applications for executive director, the Ketcha Outdoors community feels very fortunate to have Laragh Kavanaugh accept this exciting challenge of leading the Scarborough and Portland campuses into our next chapter of service to the Greater Portland community. With Laragh’s thoughtful leadership and strategic mindset, Ketcha is well poised to serve Maine’s children, families, and individuals for many years to come.”
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