Our Founding Story
It all started when...
Carol & Bob Leone wanted to raise their family in a place where people loved the outdoors. In 1988, they left their jobs with the National Park Service & Appalachian Trail Conference to start a life in Maine and begin stockpiling wonderful outdoor memories. They were surprised that many of the families they met were not taking advantage of Maine's wonderful wild places, and became concerned that children, in particular, were becoming increasingly disconnected from the outdoors. In 2005, they tragically lost their 15-year-old daughter, Sara, in a car accident. To honor Sara’s memory, her love of the outdoors, and to offer a way for students of Sara’s age to have access to outdoor experiences, they founded Teens to Trails.
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” ~ Rachel Carson
“When we lost Sara, our lives were turned upside down in an instant. Our loss could not have been more penetrating. In our search for some sense of reality, we turned to the one constant in our lives: nature.
We treasure all the special moments our family has had together out-of-doors ... scrambling over rocks to mountaintops, picking berries, digging our toes in the sand, searching for sand dollars, collecting heart rocks, pressing fall-colored leaves, watching a meteor shower, jumping ocean waves, kayak paddling against the tide, camping alone on an island, skiing with wind in our faces, catching snowflakes on our tongues, swimming with sea turtles, waking to the sounds of a blow hole, scuba diving in total darkness, watching a glacier calving. If we can help someone else to have even one such special moment in their life, it will have been well worth it.”
- Teens to Trails Founder, Carol Leone
Backpackers Lindsay, Bob & Sara LeoneOur Founding Members
Our Founding Members stepped up in support of sustaining Teens to Trails.
These supporters will be forever at the heart of our organization.
Jane Arbuckle
Joanna & Todd Bachelder
Nick Bennett
Foxfire Buck & Genaro Mancera
Maryellen Buck
Jonna Carter
Chewonki
Chimani
Jeanne Christie & Lawrence De Hof
Sandy Colhoun & Selina Rossiter
Jennifer Collins
Marjorie Collins
Bob Collins
Martha Corey
Klarizza Cruz
Jean Cucci
Casey Cummings
Lynne Dempsey
Rita & James Dempsey
JoAnn & Paul Dolan
Kelley & Eric Duffy
Edgecomb Congregational Church
Judi & Erik Ekholm
June & Michael Finnegan
Katherine Fiveash & Albert Gordon
Catherine White & Warren Frederick
Kerry Gallivan & Lauralee Raymond
Caroline Gammill & Nathan Rothstein
Andrew Glynn
Deborah & Fred Glynn
Rosemary & Peter Gold
Steve Golden & Carol Tanski
Tim Goltz & Karen Kleinkopf
Ayla Gower
Walter Graff
Doris & Bob Haas
Elaine Hall
Linda & Bill Hanson
Zachary Hartman
Maeve Tischbein & Kent Hersom
Don Hudson
Julie Isbill
Juliette Jones
L.L.Bean, Inc.
Mary Lulu Lamping
Steve Lee
Legends Baseball Fantasy Camp
Leonard C. and Mildred F. Ferguson Foundation
Emily & Carl Leone
Carol & Bob Leone
Jo Seibel & Stuart Levitz
Linda Lubow & Jordan Rosenfeld
Maine Outdoor Film Festival
Dave Butler
Barry Maisel
Ryan McDermott
Barbara & Sidney McFarland
Julia McLeod
Matt McRae
Esme McTighe
Mid-Maine Restoration
Susan Minnix & Ron Manka
Eileen & Geoff Minte
Tierney Minte
Gerard Murphy
National Park Service Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance
Neidich and Company
Megan Nichols
David Nutt
Sarah Nutt
Outdoor Nation / Outdoor Foundation
Camille Parrish & Kirk Read
Diane & Norm Patry
Kayleigh & Christopher Pettit
Alice Read
Janice & Ray Ronan
Rob Rowse & Colette Twigg-Rowse
Lindsay Leone & Benjamin Sampson
Cathy & Cliff Sampson
Nick & Gay Sampson
Gail Scott-Parizer & Michael Parizer
Dave Sherman
Brianna Shorey
Evie Smith
Mckenzie Smith
Carolyn Brodsky
Peggi & William Stevens
Satu & Alan Svoboda
Katrina Svoboda
Chelsea Taylor
The North Face Explore Fund
The VIA Agency
Mark Tusing
Pamela Underhill
Karen Wade
Marguerite Ward
Bryan Wentzell & Anna Fincke
Loren & John Wright
Gerry Wurzburg & Grady Watts