Kat's Outdoor Therapeutic Adventures, LLC
2023/2024 update:
I started working full time at Laurel Hill Primary school where my oldest son attends and my younger son is now in day care full time. It was a very hard decision to make- letting go of my KOTA programming and deciding to jump into working full time back inside 4 walls. Growing Minds Farm also made big changes and now leases the space to another company where they use the space for corporate teambuilding. This meant that I did not have full access to the space and could only do some pop up programming. With working full time and being the sole provider of my two boys, I do not have the time to plan extracurricular programs at the Farm. I hope that as I continue to get into the swing of things and given schedule availability, I can run some camps when school is not in session. As always, your support is always appreciated!
Kat's Outdoor Therapeutic Adventures (KOTA) began in November 2021 and operates at Growing Minds Educational Farm located on Hwy 41, an oasis in middle of urban Mount Pleasant. KOTA's mission is to provide outdoor programming for all needs, abilities and ages by learning about our outdoors through stories, arts, sensory play, exercise, explorations and overall stimulation. KOTA started with adult and me classes geared towards kids ages 5 and under. Since November, we have expanded to offer classes for all ages and abilities and continue to develop more programs. KOTA believes that the best therapy is being outside and around others. Creating memories and new friendships is what continues to build this community.
Kathryn (Kat) Groiss founded KOTA in November of 2021 after a few years of planning how to make her program work at Katie Donohoe's oasis, Growing Minds Educational Farm. Kat is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) and has worked in various settings with various populations using recreation as her tools of therapy. She previously lived in Colorado working with adults with traumatic brain injuries. After moving to Charleston 12 years ago, she helped to start therapeutic recreation programs at various retirement homes and then went on to work with adults with special needs. She took 2 years off to stay home with her second child but got the itch to do something more and hence, KOTA began. Her goal is to continue expanding and offering programs for all needs and abilities and continuing to build a strong community that ties everyone together. Kat has two adorable boys; Henry and Aiden, a wonderful husband, Hank, who supports all of her crazy ideas and two rescue dogs; Ozzy and Peko.