A Registered Non-Profit · Quesnel Lake, British Columbia

Adventure Knows No Bounds.

The Cariboo wild belongs to everyone. We're a brand-new non-profit setting out to open Quesnel Lake to people with disabilities — starting with a wilderness cabin and a pontoon boat, and building the accessibility from there.

Book Your Accessible Stay Help Us Get Equipped

Jakira overlooking the Cariboo Mountains

Welcome to the Jakira Foundation

A gift of hope, love, and purpose.

“Jakira,” meaning gift in Swahili, speaks to the hope, love, and purpose behind our mission. We believe that disability should never limit a person’s ability to experience joy, freedom, and the beauty of adventure.

At the Jakira Foundation, we create opportunities for wheelchair users and people with disabilities to go beyond barriers, discover new possibilities, and feel the deep sense of empowerment that comes from truly living without limits.

Every journey we support is more than an experience — it is a reminder that every person deserves dignity, inclusion, connection, and the chance to dream fearlessly. Together, we are changing lives, opening hearts, and proving that adventure belongs to everyone.

Meet Lawrence & Our Mission

Founder Lawrence Dunkley standing on a mossy log in an old-growth forest with Jakira, his dog

Lawrence & Jakira in the Cariboo backcountry

Our Mission

“Adventure Knows No Bounds. The Cariboo Wild Belongs to Everyone.”

We are a registered non-profit organization dedicated to dismantling the barriers between the deep wilderness and individuals with disabilities.

The Problem & The Solution

We're building an uncompromising bridge to the wild.

The Barrier

The wilderness shuts too many people out.

The remote wilderness of British Columbia is breathtaking, but its rugged terrain, steep docks, and restrictive cabin layouts routinely cut off individuals with mobility or sensory needs from experiencing true isolation. Furthermore, the financial strain of specialized care often puts adaptive outdoor travel completely out of reach.

Our Answer

Accessibility, built without compromise.

We've secured the starting point — a wilderness cabin and a pontoon boat on Quesnel Lake. Now we're raising the funds to make them fully accessible, with wheelchair ramps, an accessible dock, a roll-in bathroom, and adaptive fishing gear. As a non-profit, we're working to remove both the physical and the financial barriers so the wilderness becomes accessible to everyone.

We're Just Getting Started

A brand-new foundation with a big mission.

The Jakira Foundation is a startup non-profit. As of today we have two things — and a long way to go. That's exactly why your support matters right now.

What We Have Today

A cabin and a boat on Quesnel Lake.

Our starting point is a wilderness cabin and a pontoon boat on the shores of Quesnel Lake — the home base for everything we're setting out to build.

What We Need

The equipment to make it accessible.

As a startup, we're beginning with nothing else. To open the wilderness to everyone, we need to acquire wheelchair ramps, electronic fishing gear, adaptive tackle, an accessible dock, and a roll-in bathroom — and that is where your donation comes in.

Help Us Get Equipped Ways to Give

A smiling guest in a wheelchair aboard our pontoon boat, holding a large wild rainbow trout

The Origin Story

Refusing to accept that the deep woods should be exclusive.

Our journey began when our founder, Lawrence Dunkley, an avid angler and outdoor enthusiast, realized how quickly a spinal injury or chronic illness could erase someone’s access to the healing power of nature.

Refusing to accept that the deep woods should be exclusive, he set out to build a barrier-free sanctuary where families and individuals could relax, fish for giant rainbow trout, and explore Quesnel Lake without limitations. Today the Jakira Foundation is just getting started — and every gift brings that vision closer.

“Nature heals. No one should be turned away at the trailhead.” — Lawrence Dunkley, Founder

The Experience We're Building

Barrier-free adventure, piece by piece.

Here's the barrier-free experience we're creating on Quesnel Lake — what's already here, and what your support helps put in place.

Our Pontoon Boat

Our pontoon boat is on the water today. With your support, we'll add roll-on wheelchair ramps and adaptive gear so anyone can get aboard.

Explore boat tours →

Our Wilderness Cabin

Our wilderness cabin is here today. We're raising funds to add a roll-in shower, lowered counters, and sensory-friendly features.

Explore the cabin →

Adaptive Fishing

Quesnel Lake holds wild rainbow, lake, and bull trout. We're raising funds for electronic reels and adaptive gear to put them within everyone's reach.

Explore the fishing →

Expert, Empathetic Guiding

As we grow, our guiding will be led by people trained in adaptive recreation, wilderness safety, and medical protocols — because the right support makes the wild possible.

Unrestricted Wilderness

Pure, remote isolation on Quesnel Lake — paired with the accessible infrastructure we're working to put in place for real peace of mind.

At No Cost to Participants

As a registered non-profit, every stay, tour, and excursion we offer is provided free of charge to our participants and their families.

Seasonal Operations

Open June 1 through September 30.

To ensure the highest safety standards and the most comfortable wilderness experience, our retreat operates seasonally from June 1st through September 30th.

During these pristine summer months, we maximize our daylight hours on the water, offering tranquil, fully supported backcountry escapes during the peak of the Cariboo fishing season.

June – September · Peak Cariboo Fishing Season

Calm mountain lake at golden hour with a canoe on still water

Our Core Values

What guides every decision we make.

Dignity in Adventure

We believe high-adventure experiences should never require compromising personal independence.

Empathetic Engineering

We design every square inch of our property alongside people with lived disability experiences.

Radical Inclusion

We welcome individuals across all ability spectrums, creating shared, barrier-free memories for entire families.

Help Us Break Barriers

Your gift can change a life.

Your gift can do more than support a cause — it can change a life. Your tax-deductible donation helps create access to moments of freedom, joy, dignity, and adventure that many never thought possible. It helps break through barriers that have stood in the way for far too long and opens the door to experiences that inspire confidence, hope, and belonging.

When you give to the Jakira Foundation, you are giving more than money — you are giving opportunity, empowerment, and the powerful reminder that everyone deserves to experience the beauty of life without limits.

Donate Now Ways to Give

The Jakira Foundation is a registered non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible.