oh How far we have traveled down this road...
Our Story
For as long as memory serves, we have been a band of buddies and travelers from all different backgrounds. As different as we all were, we were also bound by the desire to explore and enjoy the world around us. We dreamed of one day starting our own sort of Explorer's Club for the "regular person" and all took our own paths in life with that idea in mind. As we all grew, we became experts at navigating different and sometimes tumultuous paths and took note of how easy it was to stray off course. We began to notice that this great "falling-off the wagon" wasn't just us, but a drastically growing problem. Without a strong support group, opportunities ,and plan of action, this type of situation seemed to worsen and become very long-standing.
In 2017, our little collective gathered around the dining room table to seek out a way to address it. The Los Angeles Maritime Institute, S.A.L.T.S., Seamester, our friends at Hope Partners, and several other outdoor programs heavily influenced us as we chalked up drafts for what would become this company of adventurers--a fellowship that, at its core, just wanted to have a good time doing good for others, exploring our individual purposes and this great wide world, and put the opportunity and onus back on the individual for charting a path toward a new life. Our desire was to start to impact our communities and help others carry on their lives and dreams as well. We became a band of jokers and rogues with a mission. We became an open family of "no-good do-gooders"... We became The Crossbones Company.
We worked hard to set up properly and hone our personal skills and became a federally registered 501c3 nonprofit in the following year. Sadly, in 2019 one of our core families experienced a tragedy of the worst kind. We eventually carried on broken but each day we grew some more by grace and the indescribable blessing of our friends' and family's support. This event would shape our direction and hearts forever.
Later that year we would take time off to restore a 90 year old ship, The Dubloon, for launch in January 2020 to keep our dream and goals alive. In an odd twist of fate, we were scheduled to open our doors a few days after the world shut down with COVID-19 and had to pause again. We made the most of it by refining our process and programs so that we could open again when it was appropriate....
Today we are wide open, taking in as much wind as we can put in our sails and as many souls as our hull will hold. We are humbled by the the love, support, and feedback of those that have adventured with us. We are excited and driven by the future plans, next stages of outreach, and the changes we are starting to make.
We believe there is a need, now more than ever, to not only reconnect with others but also with ourselves and our paths. Come all ye' no-hopers, ye' jokers, and rogues. Life is full of twists and turns, but that's the adventure and all we have to do is live it.