Paige Young becomes director of programming

We’re thrilled that after five years on the Crew’s part-time staff, Paige Young recently became our full-time director of programming!

If you’ve seen Paige out adventuring with our teens on Saturdays, you might find it hard to believe that she wasn’t the “outdoorsy” type before she joined the Crew.

Growing up in Mason, where she moved in third grade, Paige was more likely to be found indoors doing gymnastics than outside on a river or trail. After an injury, she switched to cheerleading and even cheered for UC her freshman year there.

But she found us, anyway, in March 2016. At the time, she was working on her master’s degree in health promotion and education at the University of Cincinnati and in search of volunteer opportunities. Having previously volunteered with youth-focused programs at the Red Cross and UC’s Healthy Bearcats, she saw Adventure Crew as a good fit.

“I always had a passion for working with kids,” she said. “Adventure Crew got me into the outdoors. I evolved myself because I was not very outdoorsy before Adventure Crew.”

Like many of our students, Paige had her first experiences with kayaking and mountain biking as part of the Crew. Not long after she started volunteering, she joined the weekend staff. When the program director position opened up, she and another staff member, Cint Victor, split the role as two part-time positions.

Paige had actually brought Clint into the Crew. They’d met while working together at Jeff Ruby’s Precinct. You might say that they hit it off: The couple got engaged (in what she describes as a “pretty outdoorsy engagement” in Glacier National Park) in 2020.

These days, Paige loves outdoor activities, particularly kayaking and snowboarding. She and Clint are trying to visit as many National Parks as they can, and the home they share with their two cats in Loveland has kayak access to the Little Miami River.

But as much as she enjoys being outside, it’s the Crew kids that make her job truly rewarding. She loves seeing their smiles, hearing their giggles and reading the texts she gets from parents about what a great day their child had with the Crew.

“The kids keep me coming back -- their great attitudes, how much they enjoy the outdoors,” she said. “It’s really heartwarming.”