Development

Future vision

Over the past 12 months we have spent a significant amount of time looking to the future of High 5. A focus of our thinking has been around increasing our identity as a non profit educational organization. In turn, this has led to the creation of a Development Committee on our Board of Directors.

This committee comprised of board members Nicki Hall, Tom Oxholm, Joe Falcone and Jim Grout have created a development plan for High 5 that will be implemented over the next several years. This plan will include increasing our funding efforts with individual donors, foundations and corporations.

Our background

As we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of High 5, it's satisfying to acknowledge that we have done well. We've grown from a small and struggling start-up non profit, into a well established, professional organization serving the field of adventure education.

Over the past decade, we have served thousands of young people and the people who work with young people, whether they be teachers, counselors, police officers and military personnel or camp and recreational staff.

Our mission

As our mission statement says, our programs consistently help individuals, schools and communities use adventure education to improve the way they live, learn and work together. Or as we say in our vision statement; High 5 Adventure Learning Center: Empowering people, Building programs, Creating change.

So after ten years of good work and relatively sound financial statements why do we need to change anything? Quite simply, we have earned the right to do more! Not necessarily more in quantity but more that we are passionate about and that makes a greater difference in the lives of those we serve with our programs.

Satisfied students

I always love to hear the comments from young people or adults who come through our programs. This summer there was one that particularly caught my ear. It was from a young 15 year old Iraqi student who was here with the School for International Training. During the end of the day debrief when the group was asked to share a comment about their day, he simply stated, "This was the best day of my life."

We have the potential as an organization to create more "best day of my life" comments for those whose lives we touch. In many ways, our High 5 name and the action for which it was named says it all. That magic moment of elation, when one hand reaches high to touch the other in a gesture of satisfaction, shared accomplishment and pride is what our next decade is all about. But now we are reaching beyond the outstretched hand...now we are going to reach for the sky!

As our development efforts continue to unfold, I look forward to including you in our plans to support High 5 and the exemplary educational programs we conduct for thousands of young people.