Participants in the rally make a donation, and 100% of the proceeds will go towards funding scholarships for deserving teenagers who could otherwise not afford the cost of a program with Deer Hill Expeditions. If you cannot join in the rally, itself, consider sponsoring one of the other teams. If you are joining one of the rally teams, thank you! Your contribution will make a huge difference in the lives of these scholarship recipients. We are so grateful to Brad for planning this event, and excited that he feels so passionate about Deer Hill nearly a decade on from his experience with us.

The Deer Hill Foundation is a non-profit entity with 501c3 status. Your contribution is fully deductible for federal income tax purposes.

You can find out all the details about the rally, and see some beautiful images of the Southwest, by heading to the Deer Hill Rally website:

This featured photo is community service-themed. In the past few years community service has become a buzzword in the world of teen summer camps and travel programs, and that’s great. At Deer Hill, community service for teens has been an integral part of our mission and values for two decades. We might even humbly suggest that we were some of the innovators of experiential learning through service projects and cultural immersion.

This photograph, taken by Deer Hill Founder Doug Capelin in 1990, shows an early Deer Hill group working with Navajo teenagers to construct a water catchment dam, on the property of the Halwood family near Chinle, Arizona. The project was a collaboration between Deer Hill, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Future Farmers of America. The dam created a low-impact way of storing rain water for wildlife as well as livestock and crops, and continues to help to sustain the traditional ranching lifeway of a Navajo family. The Halwoods have planted a fruit orchard and cornfields below the dam that have thrived over the years. In addition to the fun and memories that were created as these young people from very different cultures worked together, something of lasting value remains as a legacy of their labor.

Martin and Phuong taking in the view on the Colorado River, Southwest Soulquest 2009

Foundation Recipients 2009

The Deer Hill Foundation provides scholarships to Deer Hill participants who, without financial assistance, might otherwise never be able to participate in one of our programs.

In 2009, DHF offered full and partial scholarships that enabled over 30 high potential, low income, young people to be a part of our community. The contributions that these participants make to a Deer Hill program are immeasurable.

The Deer Hill Foundation often works with partner organizations to allow us to further our reach. DHF would like to thank Summer Search, Montana Yellowstone Expeditions Foundation and The DEEP Foundation for their unwavering and continued support.

Some words from our DHF participants:

“My service project with the Hopi was the greatest thing in the world. I will remember all of the people in Hopiland for just having open arms to me at all times.” Tiga, Southwest Journey

“I love Deer Hill. I will always remember the excitement of rafting and mountain biking and especially all of the team work.” Sabina, Southwest Journey

“I think that the entire expedition was meaningful because it gave me more confidence in myself and the feeling that I can achieve anything that I put my mind to.” Carolina, Heart of the Rockies

“My experience with Deer Hill has been full of surprises and struggles but each one memorable and extremely valuable to me. I will remember how everything I did was new and exciting or just completely out of my ordinary. I will cherish my personal growth and do my best to never let go of everything that I gained at Deer Hill.” Naya, Costa Rica

Heart of the Rockies 2009, deep in the Weminuche Wilderness. Margaret is in the front row on the left.

A Letter of Appreciation from a participant

Dear Doug,

I am writing to show my appreciation to you for this great experience you have given me. It was one of the best experiences in my life. I really enjoyed it.

The expedition taught me a lot about plants and herbs and other incredible stuff.

The children that are my camp friends (as I put them) are very kind. We are a very diverse group. I was joyous to be with them. They were so much fun and I learned a lot from them. We loved to joke around and talk and cook together.

My leaders were the same way. They were kind, funny and smart. I loved it when they told us stories – we called it story time.

My adventure was one of the best ever!

Thank you!

Sincereley,

Margaret