Who Are Moondancers?

There's no doubt that the best part about a Moondance Adventure is not the places you're going or the activities you're doing. It's actually the people you're with who end up making your experience the "Trip of a Lifetime." We often joke that we could send these kids dumpster diving and still have a blast! This fact must be attributed to the equation of adding amazing role models as leaders with positive, self-motivated and goal-oriented teens, producing life-changing opportunities for all folks involved!

One aspect of Moondance in which we pride ourselves is the caliber of teens who choose to join our programs. We ensure this tradition by asking each new applicant to submit contact information for two teachers who can speak on his or her behalf. I just wanted to share a few excerpts from some of the recommendations I've received this year (names have been changed to protect privacy!):

- "Lauren never ceases to amaze me with her excellence...I truly appreciate her willingness to motivate members of her group to work together to come up with solutions to problems."

- "Wilson's strengths include his energy, creativity, love of people, humor and outgoing personality...I believe that Wilson would not only be an asset to the Moondance program but would also benefit from the experience."

- "There is no one I would recommend more highly than Timothy. When I taught him last year, he was one of the most mature 7th graders I've ever known. He is reasoned and thoughtful, always giving 100%."

- "Jenny would be such an asset to your program. She is a hard worker, diligent student and level headed. But what I love about Jenny is that she is kind to everyone. Her smile is infectious."

Some of our trips feature some pretty challenging activities, and many times parents ask, "How can my child climb Kilimanjaro with no prior experience?" I love this question! We have students from all over with all sorts of talents joining our programs. Some students are all-star athletes and have gone on to participate in college sports. Some students don't play any sports back home and may shine elsewhere in their community. But what we find that it's not the physical fitness level of our students that allows them to succeed. It's the camaraderie and the motivation being shared among one another that allows our participants to find the strength within, to take that next step and to stand atop the mountain with new friends saying, "We did it!"

We are looking forward to having so many bright, new individuals joining our programs this summer. As we experience record enrollment for 2013, we are welcoming more new faces than ever before, as well as welcoming back our valuable and friendly alumni. See you this summer!