Trekkers Hires New Development Assistant

Thomaston, Maine - Trekkers, a nonprofit outdoor-based youth mentoring organization, recently hired a Development Assistant. Jennifer Brooks, a Warren native, has joined the six-person staff, which includes four full-time staff and two AmeriCorps volunteers.        

Ms. Brooks studied Secondary Education at the University of Maine at Farmington and Orono. A small business owner and Maine Master Floral Designer, she also worked for eight years as an administrative assistant for a local middle school. Currently residing in Union with her husband and three teenage children, she enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking Mt. Katahdin, cross-country skiing and horseback riding as well as gardening, knitting and cooking.

“I look forward to learning new skills that will help with the development of an organization that gives so much to our local youth community,” commented Brooks of her new position. “On a personal level, I am inspired by the volunteers that give so much to Trekkers.”

As the Development Assistant, Ms. Brooks will perform development-related duties to support the growing Trekkers organization. She will assist with donor and alumni relations, develop the planned giving program and promote events and fundraisers. She’ll also head the organization’s social media and marketing outlets, informing community members of Trekkers’ day-to-day happenings, programs and events.

Ms. Brooks’ arrival at Trekkers is well-aligned with the organization’s six-year expansion plan to increase student enrollment and staff. Historically serving 120 students in the communities of Cushing, St. George and Thomaston, Trekkers began in 2011 to incrementally increase student enrollment in these communities and expand its service area to include students from the three additional communities of the consolidated RSU #13: Rockland, Owls Head and South Thomaston. Now in its 19th year, the organization serves 180 students in grades 7-12, providing these students yearlong mentoring programs that culminate in a 3-14 day expedition within the United States.

Trekkers is a nonprofit outdoor-based mentoring program focused on connecting young people with caring adults through expeditionary learning, community service and adventure-based education.  To learn more, please visit our website at www.trekkers.org.