A farewell to the Elk Hill Community

Prior to arriving at Elk Hill, I served for two years in the Peace Corps in Kenya, Africa.  I worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, taught at two secondary schools, and lived in a mud hut.  I had a lot of time to ponder life.   It was during that time when I came to realize my own personal life’s mission of Do Good, Have Fun.  When I got back stateside, I seriously doubted that I ever again would be able to find a job where I could have such a positive impact on people’s lives and have fun doing it.   And then the father of a friend I had met in Kenya referred me to Elk Hill.  I was offered a part time counseling position and made a one-year commitment.  That was 40 years ago.  

Over those 40 years, thousands of young people and their families have been positively impacted through our programs and services.  As you can imagine, there are so many memories, so many incredible stories!  These are stories of trauma, transformation, and redemption.  My memories often are “refreshed” when I hear back from alumni and their families.  They frequently mention that their Elk Hill experience continues to influence their lives today and that they continue to use the skills they learned through Elk Hill. Always nice to hear!  

Many of my favorite memories and stories come from early in my career when I was working directly with young men on our adventure challenge trips.  We would spend weeks at a time white water canoeing, rock climbing, and backpacking. A key component of this experiential learning was to be able to relate the challenges faced in the outdoors back to their lives at home and the decision making, courage, teamwork, and resilience it takes to be successful.  I saw so many of those young men discover their inner strength through those experiences.  I remember thinking back then, “I can’t believe I get paid to do this”.  We were doing good and having fun doing it!

Elk Hill has been doing good for 50 years! Our culture is all about living our values to achieve the goal of transforming lives.   Because of that culture, our organization attracts very good people.  These are people who lead their own values driven lives, both personally and professionally.  The friendships I have made through Elk Hill have so enriched my life.  Those friendships will last for the rest of my life.  

I have heard it said that “the secret to a long life is knowing when it’s time to go”.  As you can imagine, I have very mixed emotions leaving now, particularly with all that is going on in the world.  I do take great solace in knowing that my friend and colleague, Ron Spears, is ready to lead Elk Hill.   Ron has an awesome executive leadership team - Laura Easter, Ebony Jones, Dan Fitzsimmons, Jessica Cocciolone, and Marsha Pryor.  Elk Hill is in very good hands.  

It has been a true honor to have been part of Elk Hill’s mission for 40 years.  I am so very grateful to everyone –supporters, colleagues, trustees, and friends – for all your love and support throughout those many years!  

I cannot have imagined a more fulfilling and fun career!

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