2023 GO WilMa! Get Outside & Experience Nature Together
GO WilMa! Outdoor Adventure Program - Kicking Off June 20!
GO WilMa! is Willistown Parks and Recreation’s exciting summer outdoor adventure program. Children throughout the Willistown and Malvern region - and patrons of the Malvern and Paoli Libraries – are encouraged to explore the natural and historic treasures of our area through a series of scavenger hunts to “Inspiration Stations.” Kids and their families and friends can participate on their own schedule throughout the summer. Children receive a raffle ticket for each Inspiration Station they find, and earn a GO WilMa! patch for completing 6 outdoor adventures. Raffle winners will be drawn at the Willistown Country Fair on August 22 at Greentree Park.
There is no fee for GO WilMa! The program is funded and presented by Willistown Township.
Get Outside ’round Willistown and Malvern = GO WilMa!
This year’s theme, based on the National Collaborative Summer Reading Program theme of All Together Now is…drum roll, please… Get Outside and Experience Nature Together!
Join in the Adventure! Registration opens at our School’s Out—Let’s GO WilMa! Park Party on June 20 2023, rain date June 22, from 5:30-8 PM, and is ongoing throughout the summer at Malvern and Paoli Libraries.
Celebrating Community! GO WilMa! combines parks and recreation, reading, health and wellness, and lots of fresh air fun. Outdoor exploration also brings families, friends, and our community together. Many of our adventurers report feeling pride and awe at the beauty of our region. GO WilMa! is a state-wide Excellence in Parks and Recreation award winner.
The GO WilMa! Programming Partners
Thank you libraries!
Spearheaded by Willistown Parks and Recreation, the GO WilMa! Program Team includes:
Special Thanks and Kudos
Special Thanks to the Healthy York County Coalition's GO York program, Go Outdoors York County (goyork.org), for sharing their inspiration and upon which GO WilMa! is based.
Kudos to Kevin A. Alvarnaz, the mastermind behind the GO York program of WellSpan Health (Wellspan Website).
Funding: There is no fee for GO WilMa!, as the program is provided by Willistown Township.
Jump to What You Need to Know:
How to Play
Remember, the adventure begins when summer starts!
Here’s how the GO WilMa! Outdoor Adventure Program works:
- Inspiration Stations(etching posts) are located in parks, along trails, and at special sites in and around Willistown Township, Malvern Borough, East Goshen Township, and East Whiteland Township. Each year the Inspiration Station locations change, so the adventure is always new.
- Your job is to find as many of the Stations as possible by following clues in the Field Guide provided at registration. Each Station links to a page in your Field Guide, where, once you locate the Station you’ll use a crayon or side of a pencil to rub the etching in the space provided in your Stamp Collection, "stamping" your guide.
- Submit your photos and stories to us. We love following along on your adventures!
- Submit your Stamp Collections to Malvern and Paoli Libraries along the way or you can wait until you've had your last adventure and then head in for your raffle tickets to enter our prize drawing.
- Like Willistown Parks and Recreation GO WilMa! on Facebook and Instagram, and sign up for Willistown Parks and Recreation Enews here for important updates, announcements, and fun!
Prizes & Rewards
Your Field Guide Stamp Collections will entitle you to receive chances to win some great adventures and fun prizes!
- Each etching entitles a participant to a prize drawing raffle ticket, the more Inspiration Stations you find—the higher your chances of winning a prize!
- Each adventurer who gets to 6 stations will receive a GO WilMa! carabiner and patch provided by Willistown Parks & Rec and distributed by the libraries when you submit your Stamp Collections. The prize raffle will be held at the Willistown Country Fair on August 22, rain date 24 at 6pm. You do not need to be present to win.
Inspiration Stations
Thank you, Station hosts!
Each year the Station locations change so the adventure is always new and exciting. Special thanks go to the following community Station hosts for participating in GO WilMa!
Program Goals
The goals of GO WilMa! include:
- Promoting physical activity
- Promoting parks, open space, historic and community treasures in Willistown Township, Malvern Borough, East Goshen Township and East Whiteland Township
- Promoting reading
- Promoting curiosity about the natural world
- Promoting health/fitness/wellness—in other words, encouraging healthy lifestyles through fun!
- Celebrating community
Some Things to Remember
- Make sure that you take your Field Guide and a crayon or pencil for the etching at our Inspiration Stations.
- Always remember to be respectful of parks and trails, the outdoors, and people around you!
- The parks, trails, and special sites are open dawn to dusk unless otherwise noted in the Field Guide.
- The program begins when school lets out for the summer and ends August 17!
Liability Release & Safety
All Participants Assume the Liability Release
I understand that, by participating in the GO WilMa! outdoor adventure program, I will be engaging in physical activities that involve risks of being outdoors, from the activity itself, from the acts of others, or from the unavailability of emergency services or emergency medical care on site. Such risks may include: property damage; bodily injury, and; possible death. By participating in the GO WilMa! program, I understand that I assume these risks and hereby release the GO WilMa! programming partner organizations and their employees, volunteers and elected representatives and the property owners where the Inspiration Stations are located from any claims, losses, liabilities, expenses or judgments, including legal fees and court costs arising out of my participation in the GO WilMa! program.
Safety
Every outdoor activity, including scavenger hunting, has some risks and dangers. You could get hurt, meet up with wild animals and bugs, and touch poisonous plants. Here are a few reminders as you hunt for Inspiration Stations with other GO WilMa! adventurers this summer:
- Be familiar with the area where you are headed before getting there.
- Make sure to follow all posted park rules.
- Be respectful of the environment and of others around you.
- Never hike alone! If you are heading out with a friend, always make sure a responsible adult knows where you will be.
- Always lock your vehicle and secure any valuables.
- Wear clothing that is loose-fitting, lightweight, and light-colored to protect your skin from the sun and to keep you cool.
- Lather up with sunscreen to keep your skin healthy for years to come.
- Bring plenty of water with you and make sure you drink it even if you don’t feel thirsty.
- If it is really hot outside, bring extra water, walk slower, and take more breaks.
- Seek safe shelter if the weather gets dangerous or you hear or see storms nearby.
- Step carefully over and around fallen logs and branches, rocks, roots, and other things lying on the ground.
- Poisonous plants like poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac may grow near an Inspiration Station or along a trail. Know what each looks like and watch out for them!
- Spiders, insects, snakes, or other critters may visit the same places where Inspiration Stations are hidden. Be careful where you step and where you reach!
- Mosquitoes, black flies, or other annoying bugs may bother you. You may want to wear bug repellent spray or other products to keep them away.
- Always check to make sure that you are not taking any bugs home with you.
- Be careful around ponds, lakes, rivers and streams.
Themes, Testimonials & Photos
Thanks for participating in this summer’s GO WilMa! program. We are interested in hearing your comments, both good and constructive, as it may help make next year’s program be even more successful and exciting. Please send your input and any photos to GO WilMa! Feedback. Your feedback may be posted here or appear in the WillisTowne Crier newsletter or on Instagram or Facebook.
Past Themes Include:
2022: Celebrating A Decade of Outdoor Adventures!
2021 Summer: For the Birds!
2021 Spring: The Adventure Continues!
2020: Get Outside for Inspiration!
2019: To the Moon and Back!
2018: Kindness Rocks GO WilMa!
2017: Get Outside & Come Together for a Better World!
2016: Be Well, Be Fit--Get Outside & Move It!
2015: Get Outside & Be a Hero!
2014: Get Outside & Be Amazed!
2013: Get Outside & Explore the Earth!
2012: Get Outside & Reach for the Stars!
Testimonials
An explorer's mom reports: "Each adventure taught us so much about our county and created wonderful family memories! We ended each hike filled with gratitude for living in an area with such beautifully preserved open space, and plan to return throughout the seasons." Leslie B.
A Willistown mom reports: "Here are photos from Siana (age 6), Daniel (age 4) and my Okehocking adventure. It was a beautiful day. The views were breathtaking! The gentle cool breeze really made the sunny day lovely. Siana said she loved the feeling of the wild wind, Daniel loved watching Ridley Creek, and we made new friends with two different families along the way."
This GO WilMa! team is happy to be on the star dust trail seeking the Strawberry Moon. Mom reports: "We had a great time at sunset last night at Sugartown Strawberries!"
Cousins Erin and Jamie are two happy tree hugging star seekers at Kirkwood Preserve. Dad reports: "Great job again with the entire program. We are looking to finish up the last three this week and have really enjoyed it!"