Nelson Mandela, the author of the quote from which Hills to Climb gets its name, also once said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made in the lives of
others.” But trying to figure out how, or even if, someone “made a difference” in the life of another is difficult to measure.

This year Hills to Climb can celebrate the year-over-year measures that reveal an increase in the number of community groups with whom we partnered, an increase in the number of youth who participated in our summer camp experiences, an increase in the number of trained staff we brought to our team, and even an increase in the number of experiences and opportunities we were able to offer our campers … including but not limited to a high ropes course, mountain biking, lacrosse, campfire building, and even a
“Shark Tank” entrepreneurial experience. But even with all of this, how do we gauge if any of this “made a difference?” Maybe these comments, shared with me by two of our campers while I was volunteering this summer, can offer an answer.
 

The first is from a middle school boy who had just spent the previous hour on a mountain bike going (literally) over the fields and through the woods. As he rolled up to where I stood and began to dismount
from his bike, I asked him “So how was it?” And without missing a beat, he smiled and replied excitedly, “Great! I can’t do this in my neighborhood at home. Too many cars and no trees. We’re gonna get to do this again, right?” The other was a high school girl preparing to board the bus back home. I asked her if she enjoyed her time at camp. She replied, “Yes. Can we please stay another week Please?" So … did Hills to Climb make a difference in the lives of these two young people? Based upon their words, I’d like to think “yes.”