Behind the Business | Jones Insurance.
For many young adults, finishing high school is the beginning of a new chapter filled with new experiences, friendships and opportunities. But for young adults with developmental disabilities, those opportunities can sometimes be harder to find.
That is the need Rowan Tree Collective set out to address. Based in Thunder Bay, Rowan Tree Collective is a privately funded not-for-profit organization that creates meaningful opportunities for neurodiverse young adults to connect, learn, participate and build greater independence. At the heart of the organization is a simple message that says a lot about its purpose: We belong.
The idea came from the personal experiences of local families who saw a gap in opportunities available after high school. Founders Michelle Murdoch-Gibson and Paul Gibson were inspired by their son Rowan, while Executive Director Renée Fortin was motivated by her son Noah. Rowan and Noah had been friends through school, and that connection helped bring their families together around a shared vision: creating a place where young adults with exceptionalities could continue to grow, build friendships and feel connected to their community.
Today, Rowan Tree Collective offers programming focused on recreation, health and wellness, life skills, employment, volunteering and active participation in the community. These opportunities can look like cooking together, learning new skills, volunteering, working as a team or simply having a place to spend time with friends.
But what stands out most about Rowan Tree Collective is that it goes beyond programming.
It is a place where participants can be themselves, make choices and discover what they enjoy. It gives young adults the opportunity to build confidence and meaningful relationships, while giving families the comfort of knowing their loved ones are part of a community that recognizes their abilities and values what they contribute.
That sense of connection is also why Rowan Tree Collective is such a natural fit for our Behind the Business series at Jones Insurance. The series gives us the opportunity to share the stories of local businesses and organizations that care about Thunder Bay and are making a positive difference in the lives of the people around them.
Rowan Tree Collective is a great example of what can happen when people see a need in their community and choose to do something about it. Their work also reminds us that strong communities are built through collaboration, when local organizations, businesses, volunteers and families support one another, everyone benefits.
At Jones Insurance, we know that organizations doing important work also need the right protection behind them. Every business and not-for-profit has different people, operations, responsibilities and risks, which is why commercial insurance should never be one-size-fits-all. By taking the time to understand how an organization operates, we can help build coverage that supports what they have created and where they want to go next. To discover more local stories like Rowan Tree Collective, watch the Behind the Business series on the Jones Insurance YouTube channel.
