A Story of Community Impact: 100+ Women Who Care Victoria
At Power To Be, we often talk about the importance of community, and how nature can play such a meaningful role in building it. Our staff, volunteers, and participants have countless stories that demonstrate the power of nature in creating community, connection, and belonging.
Our supporters, like those at 100+ Women Who Care Victoria, are the very reason that these moments of belonging are able to happen.
On July 21, 2026, we were honoured to welcome members of the 100+ Women Who Care Victoria committee to our Prospect Lake campus as they presented a cheque for their incredible donation of $32,500 in support of Power To Be.
When the group arrived, they joined us for a tour of our facilities, including our Gear Hub, where our program participants find everything they could possibly need for their outdoor adventures. One representative marveled at all of the equipment and gear, saying it gave her goosebumps because “a lot of people can’t afford any of this.”
Carinna Kenigsberg, Director of Programs and Impact at Power To Be, replied, “All the participants need to do is show up. Just show up.”
Kevin’s Story: A Way Back to Nature
We are deeply grateful for such a generous gift, and for the community behind it. The story that led to this gift is particularly meaningful, as it honours the memory of Kevin, whose life and legacy we hold dear.
For more than a year, Debbie Peterson attended 100+ Women Who Care Victoria meetings hoping that Power To Be would one day have the opportunity to share our story. When that opportunity came on May 20, 2026, Debbie stepped forward to represent Power To Be and share a part of her family's journey.
She spoke about her son Kevin and how, through Power To Be, he found his way back to nature.
Her story was honest, heartfelt and deeply personal:
“My son was an active outdoorsman—hiking, snowshoeing, cross country and downhill skiing, kayaking, gardening and fishing. Nature wasn't just something he did: it was who he was.
Then in his thirties he suffered multiple strokes that left him unable to speak and confined to a wheelchair. In an instant, the wilderness he loved became inaccessible. The hiking trails were too narrow and rough. The beaches too soft. The kayaks too unstable.
And yet his love for nature never disappeared. That is when we discovered Power To Be and my son was able to find his way back to the nature he so loved.
What I expected was access to nature. What I didn't expect and meant just as much - was community. He found people who understood him - who saw him not as a limitation but exactly as he was. He would count down the days until his next outing. And on those mornings his excitement could light up a room. Those experiences gave him more than fresh air. They gave him connection, dignity and a renewed sense of belonging.”
Debbie’s words, and her son Kevin’s story, expressed our mission and purpose in a way that facts and figures never could. Her words resonated deeply with us, and with the members of 100+ Women Who Care Victoria, who voted to direct their collective donation to Power To Be.
Our Deepest Gratitude
We're full of gratitude for every member of 100+ Women Who Care Victoria, whose generosity will create more opportunities for people to find belonging in the natural world.
We're endlessly grateful to Debbie Peterson for showing up for Power To Be long before she ever stood at that podium. Her willingness to share her family's experience, and her son Kevin’s story, is a gift that we’ll forever cherish and be moved by.
When she advocated for us in late May 2026, Debbie emphasized how support for our work meant removing barriers, “not just to nature, but to connection, to confidence, to community.”
This incredible gift from 100+ Women Who Care Victoria is a powerful example of what community can look like - and what it can do. People coming together. Sharing stories. And choosing to make a difference in the lives of others.
To Debbie, the committee, and every member of 100+ Women Who Care Victoria: thank you. Your generosity will create opportunities, experiences, and moments of belonging that will be felt for years to come.
Find out more about the impact that 100+ Women Who Care Victoria is creating HERE.
