BOISE, Idaho — It's been a big winter for Wild Hearts, a non-profit started in 2016 to help young ladies engage with each other and build leadership skills using the outdoors.
Wild Hearts was featured by Google in a commercial that aired in the Super Bowlafter a team from Google went out snowshoeing with the ladies.
"It was so cool because we got to be in [the commercial] on a snowshoeing adventure that we did in December," said McKenzie Sanders. "It was so cool being able to see us for Wild Hearts and to do something like that."
I went out on a snowshoeing adventure with Wild Hearts, as the non-profit took a group of middle school girls up to Bogus Basin. Many of these girls experienced snowshoeing for the first time, but they picked it up pretty quickly.
"I think it's really fun. I like being outdoors," said Delilah, a 12-year-old. "I think it is amazing that I get to experience this and do that."
It helps that Wild Hearts is run by women to provide girls with free opportunities to experience the outdoors. This winter, the non-profit took girls on snowshoe adventures and excursions to hot springs.
"Idaho is so cool because we have so many opportunities to get outside," said Serena Rasmussen of Wild Hearts. "We are trying to [get] girls outdoors to fall in love with this place, fall in love with these activities and know that these activities are for them."
Serena Rasmussen said in the commercial that the outdoors is a classroom where you can build confidence and community, and that's a big pillar of Wild Hearts. This program teaches resiliency, team building, and leadership skills.
"We are trying to make the next generation of leaders in the outdoors and also back in city life," said Rasmussen. "Every adventure that we go on, we try to have some sort of leadership component attached to it."
Wild Hearts will take a little break this spring to plan their summer adventures. The group we went snowshoeing with told us they love backpacking, but they also take girls rock climbing, rafting, and hiking. From what I saw, the girls have a blast with each other no matter what the adventure.
