Introductory letter from Matt Mogck to the LEAP Community

May 2022

A river doesn't have any doubt it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn't want to go anywhere else.

- Hal Boyle

I’ve paddled into countless eddies in my time as a guide with LEAP - circular currents of water that branch off from the main path of a river, only to rejoin after a brief hiatus. We use them to take a break, think about what’s ahead, and plot the best course to proceed. The currents flow in a different direction; they offer us perspective and restoration. Many of the lessons we can borrow from a river are learned in these gently circulating spaces, watching the waters flow by.

Eventually though, the inevitability of the river wins, and we continue downstream with fuller hearts and minds. Returning to LEAP feels like paddling back into that current. The community and connection this organization supports have acted as a guide to me as much as I have been a guide for them. I’m ecstatic to rejoin this path as the new program director and paddle alongside everyone who makes LEAP a part of their lives. The river brought me here, but it's all of you who brought me back: participants, partners, staff, volunteers, board members, and numerous other friends of the program. I am delighted to be a part of LEAP once again!

Matt Mogck

LEAP Program Director

(LEAP River Guide 2017-2019)