Hero Spotlight: Honouring Jalynn Bosley

Jalynn (Left) and Kelley Bosley (Right)

By Kelley Bosley Fitzpatrick

When Jalynn Bosley was asked what she wanted for her 50th birthday, she said there was really nothing she wanted or needed. She suggested to her family that they plant a tree or get a few juicy Minneolas and some good granola. Simple joys. Jal’s sister, Kelley, didn’t think planting one tree was significant enough to honour a milestone birthday, so she set a goal of raising $5000 with the hope of planting 50 trees in honour of Jalynn. Throughout their lives, Jal and Kel spent loads of time outside, and both of them feel it is where they have done their best growing and most profound learning.  They chose Trees for Life to receive the funds raised.

Jalynn is the founder of an experiential outdoor education company called ALIVE Outdoors. At the root of ALIVE is the belief that how well we know and understand ourselves determines the quality of our lives. Since its inception in 2000, ALIVE has focused on using the outdoor classroom to help young people deepen their sense of self and develop essential life competencies required to be resilient, grounded, and engaged citizens as they move through our ever-changing world. In many ways, people are the same as trees in that we all need strong and vibrant root systems to weather the storms of life.

For over two decades, Jalynn and the ALIVE team have developed and facilitated meaningful and engaging outdoor, international, and city-based programs focused on helping young people form a solid central core and an authentic connection to their peers and the natural environment. They feel fortunate to work with over 5500 students and educators annually and are deeply grateful for their fantastic community. When the call went out to plant trees for Jal’s birthday, many of her friends, colleagues and students rallied to celebrate and show their appreciation for all the energy and care Jalynn shares within her wide circle. She was deeply humbled to learn that many people had come together and raised over $7700 in her honour.  Between the money raised over the weeks leading up to Jal’s birthday, and the ALIVE Outdoors’ 20th Anniversary fundraiser (in 2020), over $30,000 has been donated to Trees for Life knowing that every tree planted will help fight climate change and help protect our planet for the enjoyment of future generations. 

Jalynn is not only deeply committed to helping young people grow, but she is also focused on helping the planet become more resilient. She was incredibly touched by this beautiful legacy gift and she will continue to find ways to support Trees for Life and other projects for positive change.