April 8 was Sara Leone’s birthday. The Wiscasset High School teenager, and daughter of Teens to Trails founders Bob and Carol Leone, had a big love for the outdoors. Together with her parents and her older sister Lindsay, Sara enjoyed so many meaningful experiences in nature, from jumping in cold ocean waves to family camping to watching meteor showers light up the night sky. Sara’s inspired outdoor spirit lives on in both our organization and the scholarship that bears her name. 

Since 2008, Teens to Trails has awarded over 20 high school students Sara’s Scholarship, allowing them life-changing outdoor experiences of their own. Sara’s Scholarship winners have enjoyed sea kayaking, hiking the AT, island excursions, backpacking trips and so many more memorable summer adventures with peers.

This year, we awarded Sara’s Scholarship to four teenagers across the state, including Linnea Andersson. Like Sara, Linnea is a Wiscasset High School student. Praised by her English teacher as a person who is always willing to try something new and find value in the experience, we believed Linnea would be an ideal candidate. That recommendation, coupled with a personal essay that detailed her early memories of hikes at Morris Farm in Wiscasset, spoke to us. She writes, “I remember how dark and cool the woods were when we finally made it across the pasture during the hot days of summer and I have thought of the woods as a comfort ever since.” With her scholarship, Linnea will be attending Chewonki’s three-week Leadership Expedition on Maine’s Appalachian Trail this summer.

This openness to explore the outdoors and embrace new experiences reflects Sara Leone’s legacy. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate her birthday than providing students like Linnea with life-changing opportunities in nature. 

If you want to pay tribute to someone who loved being outdoors, please consider a memorial gift to Teens to Trails. Visit teenstotrails.org or contact Executive Director Alicia Heyburn at alicia@teenstotrails.org