Zipline Alumni News

So there I was, on a busy street in a strange city, with no adult supervision and five hours to round up a whole range of stuff from all over town with four other teenagers I only sort of knew. And it was one of the best and most meaningful days of my life.

What do millennials want in a CS community, and what role should Adventure Unlimited play in fostering connections? “We’ve provided some activities for this age group, but we want to better understand what resonates with them,” says Kynan Witters Hicks. “It’s clear that a different approach is needed to appeal to this group from what our programs offer kids/teens and 40s+ adults.”

Two recent donations – a planned gift and an outright gift – have raised the total of Adventure Unlimited’s Bridges to the Future Campaign to within $3.7 million of its $16.5 million goal.

Zipline catches up with alumni from the A/U Ranches and DiscoveryBound programs: Steve Abbott, Jordan Jenkins and Sedge Southworth.

Stay connected with the people, activities and organization you love. Here are a few ways to do it: Join the A/U-DB Alumni Facebook Group, tell a young friend about a DiscoveryBound program, and come to Adult Mini Camp this month.

Our alumni group chose Catalina Island as a volunteer project because we wanted to learn more about the significance and principles of ecological preservation – a topic often discussed on the news and in politics. The trip also provided a special opportunity to connect with each other as students of Christian Science.

I have been involved with DiscoveryBound (DB) Outreach for 11 years as a teen participant, chaperone and volunteer. There are many reasons I keep coming back to give more to this wonderful organization, but one conversation in particular sticks out.

Most of the CITs that summer were starting their first job. Many of them, even though they were very familiar with camp from years spent as a camper, were unfamiliar with a professional working environment. We’d work on developing skills like taking initiative, teamwork, conflict resolution and role modeling. Throughout the summer, I watched as CITs transformed from active observers of their fellow counselors to confident leaders.

The duffel bag that I first took to the A/U Ranches in 1988 – a bag so large I could fit my entire third-grade self, and perhaps a couple friends, into it at the time – finally blew its zipper last year. On the side of the dark navy-colored, industrial-weight canvas duffel, in yellow velour, “Lane Anne Keough” is printed in all capital letters.

It’s time to get outdoors! Join us at an A/U Ranches or DiscoveryBound program, share what’s going on with the young people you know, find a job, and get in touch with other A/U-DB alumni. There are so many ways … Continued