Year in Review
Hiking Heroes is a student-run nonprofit organization that revolves around monthly hikes (where members collect substances harmful to the environment) and other miscellaneous activities that contribute to the wellbeing of the environment. Of these activities was a fundraiser for the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. What began as a simple idea from one of our monthly meetings turned into a potentially life-changing donation of over two thousand dollars to the Red Cross, a non-profit that provides emergency care through shelter, healthcare, water, food, and sanitation services.
February
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After coming from a short hiatus, Hiking Heroes started off the new year with impact, by donating towels to do the Fairfax County Animal Shelter! These towels provided by our members were used to provide bedding and hygiene to the animals.
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Furthermore, we then ventured to the Meadowlark Connector Trail inside Wolf Trap, Virginia. Throughout the hike, Hiking Heroes picked up countless of trash, plastic bags, and cans along the route.
March
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During the month of March, our club visited Lake Fairfax Park, located inside Reston, VA. This hike was beautiful, as it showcased Virginia's beautiful riverside landscape, making it one of the most memorable trips. Throughout our walk, we made sure to pick up trash wherever we could see, both on land and even near the coast on the river!
April
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On April 23, 2022, many of our members came together to make soap to sell as products for an upcoming fundraiser for Ukraine. On that day, Hiking Heroes was busy at work, organizing different teams to tackle each step of the soap making process efficiently, all in the name of spreading awareness regarding the Russo-Ukrainian War.
May​
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With the products ready from our hard work in April, Hiking Heroes ran a fundraiser at the Viva Vienna Festival in order to provide medical supplies to the citizens inside Ukraine. On the day of the event, our station was up for the entire duration of the festival, with many of our members there to help out.
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Although our large tent, posters, and goods lined up all served to draw attention, nothing caught the eye more than our members engaging with the audience to play the Korean game, Ddakji. This got many visitors to check out our products while also enjoying playing games with our student volunteers!
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In total, we raised $2,000 dollars to help support the citizens in the war, marking it as the largest event of our organization's history!
June
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Following the fundraiser, on the 18th, Hiking Heroes visited the Billy Goat Trail A. This trail is widely known as one of the hardest in the region, yet our members persisted, traveling the rigid terrain while also picking up numerous pieces of trash on the way!
July
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In this month, we visited Lake Fairfax Park, where we hiked around the large lake and forests nearby. It was one of the most beautiful hikes of the year, and certainly one of the most memorable. Over the course of the trail, we did the usual: picking up trash along the route we walked on,
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Following the hike, our members grouped together for promotion night, where many of our hard working members promoted to earn certificates!
August
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On a sunny day in mid-August, we visited Seneca Regional Park. While picking up plastics along the trail, we thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful river that flowed through the entire path. Furthermore, this hike was one of our largest, as during this period, we started to receive lots of new members who were interested in helping our cause!
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September
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The beginning of the school year did not stop our organization, as on the 26th of September, we visited Ellanor C. Lawrence Park. Throughout the swampy terrain and the extravagant wildlife, our group came through and fully cleaned up the trial of any litter and plastics that might have disrupted the ecosystem!
October
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In the midst of Fall, our next hiking location was at Twin Branches Nature Park. Treading through the chilly, leafy trail, it reminded us of the cold weather we had witnessed all the way back in February! Looking back now, Hiking Heroes is, and always was, proud to do what we have been doing for so long, including during this month of October.
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November​
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As the year was coming to a close, the November hike would have to to sadly be one of the last hikes of the year. Knowing this, with almost our entire Virginia Chapter at Wolf Trap National Park, we hiked and picked up many pieces of trash along the path to help bring an impacting end to 2022!
December
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To end the year off, we visited Wolf Trap National Park for the second time. However, for this hike, we took a different trail, which allowed for Hiking Heroes to fully clean out the beautiful trails at Wolf Trap. We hope that although this would be the last hike of the year, it would not be the last hike of our Virginia Chapter. Finally, with 2023 year looming, we hosted a Christmas Party to celebrate the hard work our members have put in inside this wonderful club!
Although the year may be over, this is not the end of our journey..
Hiking Heroes will be back in 2023 to continue our lasting impact! In addition, to improve on this year, we have many interesting and extravagant events in order to keep Hiking Heroes moving forward. We hope to see you back as we head on to a new beginning!
