A SPIKE IN NATURE: Three Pines Project hosts Volleyball Tournament Fundraiser on June 6

We were barely a quarter of the way around the loop at Long Leaf Park before Oana Duma and I started talking about the mountains. Not the rolling hills of the Piedmont or the Blue Ridge—but the Carpathians. Romania. Her childhood. Duma describes the familiar feeling of being outside and simply belonging there.

"I spent all my life outside. There was no place inside that I was completely comfortable in,” she says as we stroll along the rows of tall pines, filtering light, and swaying with the breeze.

Duma is the Community Coordinator, Facilitator, and Administrative Assistant for Three Pines Project (3P), a Wilmington-based nature immersion program serving children and families across New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender Counties. She's also a former journalist, a mother, a certified Nature-based Educator, and—as I came to understand on our walk—someone for whom nature is a compass.

For Duma, her love of the outdoors didn't come from a curriculum or a camp. It came from her grandparents' countryside, from summer and winter breaks and a feeling she didn't yet have words for. "I didn't consciously think, oh, being outside is good for my brain, or being outside is healthy. Playing in the dirt is healthy," she says with a laugh. "It was just appealing. …This is what I do with my kids in my free time—and you mean I can get paid for that?"

Then life brought her to Wilmington in 2013, and eventually, to Three Pines Project (formerly known as Nature Connect NC).

Originally founded by Brinkley Hutchings as Nature Connect in 2016, the program launched around one urgent question: who is going to protect our planet if children don't have a connection to the outdoors? In 2024, Kevina Casaletto took ownership and relaunched as Three Pines Project, growing the programming significantly. Duma joined the team in early 2025.

Today, 3P offers everything from Forest Families (ages 0–5 with a caregiver) and weekly Nature Explorers sessions for school-age kids, to monthly Nature Wanderers at Carolina Beach State Park and Brunswick Nature Park, Pathfinders programming for teens, and free monthly community events open to anyone. The monthly Nature Wanderers and Pathfinders programs were created as opportunities for children in traditional schools to step outside the classroom and spend time learning outdoors through hands-on experiences, nature connection, and exploration of the local ecosystems they live in." ----the pilot was this past program year , they are now established programs moving forward. This fall, a new weekly Pathfinders program launches for teenagers, who more and more rarely get consistent time in nature.

"Outdoor education is more than just learning outside," Duma says. "It's about building a deep connection with the natural world, strengthening relationships, and discovering more about ourselves along the way."

Here's the thing we keep coming back to: access. 

A major part of Three Pines Project’s mission under Kevina Casaletto’s leadership has been increasing access to outdoor education for all families. Over the last two years she has worked with the 3P team to keep tuition costs as affordable as possible while also helping build a strong scholarship fund to support families needing financial assistance. Even when funding gaps existed, Kevina consistently prioritized making sure children could still participate. "Accessibility was really important to me when I joined the team, and Kevina was very supportive of that," Duma says.

"I am so incredibly grateful that I found this team—or that it found me," she notes.

Every member of the 3P staff is someone she's known in some capacity for nearly a decade. "Our goals are the same. All ideas are welcome. All the challenges are addressed fast. It's just an amazing environment."

The free monthly community events—open to anyone, no registration required—are part of that same spirit. Lantern hikes at the solstice. Mushroom forays. Nature journaling. A theater workshop for kids built around the animal kingdom

To continue to keep costs down and accessible, Three Pines Project is hosting its first-ever volleyball fundraiser tournament, happening on June 6 at Capt'n Bill's (4240 Market St). Tournament play begins at 10:30 a.m., with championship matches throughout the day.

The event features a 4-person co-ed tournament, raffle baskets, children's activities, Three Pines Project merchandise, and a whole lot of community. Proceeds support tuition assistance and free monthly programming, with a goal of raising more than $5,000 toward scholarships and community events for the 2026–2027 program year.

Not a volleyball player? Come anyway. The raffle, the food, the kids' activities, and the energy are worth showing up for.

Details

Pine Time Classic Volleyball Tournament

June 6, 2026 at 10:30 a.m.

Register your team at volleyballlife.com or learn more about Three Pines Project at threepinesproject.org.