Who we Are
At The Branches we reach out to invite others into community so they
can find a safe and welcoming place to learn and grow. As leaders in the program, we see ourselves as
facilitators and co-learners, striving to remain curious in all that we do so that we can learn
and grow as well.
We offer a variety of programs and services with a vision to build and strengthen community
within an outdoor context. We do
not simply immerse ourselves in nature for the sake of learning natural sciences, we also greatly value the space that nature provides to teach us about character and answer questions of purpose, while providing needed rest and renewal. Our programs are not static, and
evolve based on the needs we see around us.
Victor Sprenger,
DVM, MSc.Engineering
If you were lost in the woods, this is the guy you’d want with you. Victor knows his flora, fauna, animal tracks, gardening, and we suspect he would stare down a bear without even an increase in his heart rate. In addition, he can make something out of anyone’s “junk” to get you out of a bind. Why did he not compete on Survivor you ask? He was too busy training for the Olympic Trials in Greco Roman wrestling, getting married and raising children, and pursuing a career in Veterinary medicine. An all-around good guy, with a strong quiet faith and so much to teach your kiddos...they will love his strength and athleticism, humility (obviously he didn’t write this bio), wealth of knowledge, ingenuity, natural curiosity, big heart, ready laugh, and sense of fun.
Laura Sprenger,
B.A, B.Ed, OCT
Laura was born with a love for kids and seeing the light go on for them as the world opens up around them to embrace their unique gifts. She has been working with children in various capacities for over 25 years as an Ontario Certified Teacher, camp director, therapeutic wilderness guide, and mom of 3 wild and wonderful adventurers. She strongly believes that time in nature heals us, connects us spiritually, and inspires our faith. She loves leading people into the woods. She strives to develop and deliver meaningful programming that brings out the gifts in others and creates lasting bonds between people. Laura is a strong nurturer with a keen eye for physical and emotional safety and a compassionate heart for human suffering.
A little bit more about us...
Personally, we are people of deep faith who follow Jesus and strive to live out of gratitude. We believe in actively loving & living out our faith, rather than preaching it, while not shying away from conversations around faith. For a conversation about how our faith shows up in our programs or for a copy of our personal mission statement please just ask.
Volunteers
Some of our programs operate with the addition of Volunteers. Staff and volunteers are required to have a current police check with vulnerable sector screening on file with us. One staff on site must have current First Aid qualifications. All volunteers are personally known to staff and/or screened for suitability.