Exploring Life & Business with Mary Macias of Footpath Foundation

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Macias.

Hi Mary, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2000, I was part of a group that took kids from Detroit to Northern Michigan. Those kids inspired me. Watching them experience outdoor activities for the first time – hiking, swimming, boating and rock climbing – was life-changing for them and for me. When I saw 11- year-old kids swimming in a lake for the first time, laughing and splashing in the water, complaining about the muck between their toes and talking about overcoming their fears, I quickly understood that this was necessary work, not just “a nice to have.”

When we moved to Northeast Ohio, I was determined to continue this work. In 2015, Sarah Tabeling and I co-founded Footpath Foundation, and the next year we took 48 kids from Boys & Girls Clubs to overnight camp. It was a huge success. So we continued to expand our programming, taking even more children next summer and then launching an afterschool program. Soon after that, we created in-school programming for fifth- and sixth-graders, including a curriculum, a teacher’s guide, supplies, outdoor trips and even overnight camp for our sixth-graders.

Ever since, Footpath has been growing. This past school year, we reached more than 400 students in Lorain City Schools and more than 750 kids from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Next year, we plan to add another 600 students. We’ve also grown our summer programming with partners like Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Save our Children and Ohio Guidestone. In addition, we now for the first time have our own physical headquarters, a wooded 12-acre property where kids can enjoy our Outdoor Adventures program. We expect to reach over 3,000 kids this year.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Every journey has bumps in the road. I am thankful for these bumps because they have helped us find our best path. At the time COVID hit, we were trying to implement an afterschool program — and it was proving to be more difficult than expected. The pandemic ended it completely. We had to find a new way to reach our kids. So we created Outdoor Connection Kits, nature learning tools that we passed out at housing authority sites when families picked up their food for the week. These kits were so popular that we still send out about 1,000 every summer. We also incorporated them into some of our other programming. And, during COVID, we had time to create a school-based curriculum for our fifth- and sixth-graders. This program has steadily grown since 2021. This past year, we reached nearly 1,000 kids within our school programs alone! We are excited to add another 500 kids to our school programming this Fall!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Footpath Foundation?
Footpath Foundation is a child-centered, nature-focused organization, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential in life.

Our mission is to connect kids with nature to develop personal growth and improve access to the natural world. Footpath Foundation believes all children deserve access to nature and to outdoor experiences. These experiences are the building blocks that help kids become responsible adults and leaders in their communities. Footpath Foundation provides children who lack access to the natural world with the kinds of outdoor activities that enrich their overall development, health and well-being.

We envision communities where every child benefits from nature regardless of their race or income level. We are committed to changing the lives of children by helping them discover and stay on a positive life path.
What sets us apart from others? Footpath fills a need by focusing on our kids’ needs – giving them outdoor experiences they would not otherwise have. We are also known for having strong relationships with partners who can help provide those outdoor experiences and organizations that serve kids living in highly developed urban areas.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Flexibility allows you to be open to ideas and creative ways to solve problems.

By being flexible, you can usually figure out a way to make anything work. At the same time, you must be willing to take the risk, the next step, the chance and push forward with implementation of the idea while being ready to use those problem solving skills.

You also have to be flexible during implementation because things may change or may not go how you thought they would. You must be willing to try something new rather than stick to a plan that is not working. Finally, it is nearly impossible to implement something well without strong, positive, trusting relationships. It takes a strong team. Our small but mighty team works closely with partners, the kids, teachers, vendors, supporters, donors, foundations and businesses- it’s key. We can’t be the best we can be if we’re in a silo.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.footpathfoundation.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footpath_foundation
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FootpathFoundation
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/footpath-foundation
• Twitter: https://x.com/footpath_org
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@footpathfoundation9118