WC Smith welcomes the Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School (CBOBS) as the newest nonprofit resident partner at THEARC.
Opening in late fall as the District’s first community-focused outdoor education campus, the new site will include custom-built high and low climbing elements designed to serve as an outdoor classroom, engaging students from across D.C. in experiential, adventure-based learning.
The campus is being developed by CBOBS and Building Bridges Across the River, with a $2 million investment from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation.
WC Smith Chairman Chris Smith founded Building Bridges as the nonprofit organization to manage THEARC, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025.
CBOBS has served over 100,000 students from across the greater region since 1986, and since 2020, over 6,000 D.C. students through 50+ D.C. community partners, spanning all eight Wards. Until now, D.C. students traveled to the organization’s basecamp in Baltimore. The new campus at THEARC removes barriers by bringing programming to where students live and learn, embedded within a vibrant hub of educational, health, and arts nonprofits.
Rahsaan Bernard, President and CEO of Building Bridges, said, “At THEARC, our mission has always been to ensure that young people and families east of the Anacostia River have access to the best-in-class facilities, resources, experiences, and opportunities they deserve. Partnering with Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School brings a powerful new dimension to that work
— using the outdoors as a catalyst for growth and connection. This new campus will give D.C. youth the chance to step outside their comfort zones, build resilience, and discover their own potential — right here in their own backyard.”
“This exciting next step is more than a new location. It’s critical to our long-term goal of setting thousands of D.C. students on the path to success so that they can dream big and achieve their goals,” said Kristen Komlosy, Executive Director of CBOBS. “When students step into a supportive yet challenging environment, they build the confidence, connection, and mindsets to thrive.”
CBOBS will reach students through partnerships with schools and community-based organizations, which will be charged a fraction of the programs’ costs. Schools with students who receive free and reduced meals (FARM) are charged a minimal fee based on their FARM rate, while students pay nothing.
CBOBS will kick off this partnership with on-site programming for schools and youth-serving nonprofits, along with a series of community events throughout the coming year.
