2006 AEE Mid-Atlantic Region Awards
Rising Star Award
Kristen & Andy Brower from VisionQuest
are this year’s Rising Star Award winners. Kristen & Andy are both
graduates of Unity College’s Adventure Education Leadership program.
They have contributed immensely to the development of the Adventure Department at VisionQuest through their technical expertise and social graces.
Andy has made his mark through his skills and wonderful teaching ability by capturing the essence of a “learning moment” with the most difficult of youth.
Kristen’s wonderful “soft skills” motivate even the most recalcitrant individuals. Both have helped in resurrecting dormant climbing and caving elements within the program. As if working with troubled youth is not enough to tax one’s resources, these two continually give unselfishly
of their time to fill essential gaps and go beyond the call to make a
difference in the VisionQuest program. Their commitment, dedication, work ethic and integrity are what most employers can only aspire to from prospective employees. VisionQuest was lucky enough to get two for the price of one with this couple. Kristen and Andy have only just begun to make an impression in the industry of working with youth and adventure
education.
Phil Costello Award
The Mid-Atlantic Region of AEE is proud to initiate an award to the memory and spirit of Phil Costello. The award is to extol one’s entrepreneurship and their zeal in the support and promotion
of experiential education. The first recipient of this honor goes to Joyce
Hartpence-Warner.
Joyce was introduced to the field of experiential based training and development starting in 1979 by working for such programs as Project Adventure, Inner Quest, Project USE, Outward Bound and through AEE. She started facilitating, designing and delivering experiential-
based programs full-time to a multitude of businesses, schools and universities in 1982. Her programs address professional development in the areas of communication, decision making, cooperation, leadership and trust. Joyce also has been in service to AEE as a representative to the EBTD professional group and as the Mid-Atlantic Region’s chair person. Proving her entrepreneurial mindset, Joyce has lent her insight, passion and knowledge to the cofounding of the following rganizations:
Teamworks Training & Development, Earth Treks International Climbing School, Shared Summits and The Experiential Training & Development Alliance.
Joyce has moved through the journey of career heart first, partnering with clients, friends and colleagues along the way. There is a saying that
loosely goes – “There are some who pass through life and leave no trace, while there are others who pass through our lives and leave an imprint forever.” This speaks of Joyce & Phil Costello.
Educator / Practitioner Award
Steve Bobbitt is the Coordinator of Adventure Programs
at University Recreation at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. Through Steve’s leadership and passion for experiential education the
UREC has grown from a climbing wall and a few outdoor trips a year to now include challenge/rope courses, freshman outdoor adventure trip, teambuilding initiative trainings, international alternative spring break trips to provide service learning, and the development of the Adventure Learning Center, together cultivating an ongoing student leadership base and more. Over the years Steve and UREC have opened up the use and access of experiential education to many parts of the university such as the Student Government Board, Greek Life, Sports Club, Staff Training
and Development Committee, to name a few.
Educator / Practitioner Award
John Regentin is the Director of Experiential Education at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Starting back in 1996, when the program amounted to taking a random collection of students backpacking on the AT, it has expanded today to include trips and trainings to the Cochise Stronghold in AZ or sea kayaking in the Gulf of Mexico, to name a few. The establishment
of the Gettysburg Recreation Adventure Board (GRAB) opened up adventure and experiential education across the campus and the Gettysburg community.
The GRAB program has been the model for outdoor programs at numerous colleges through John’s willingness and graciousness to help and work with them. The development of student leaders and facilitators as a base for GRAB has impacted many Gettysburg students, who still connect John and his program as one of the more important and influential aspects of their college career. John continues the connection with his students, even after graduation (for example, bringing them back to co-lead trips for GRAB facilitators in training). As the quote by Helen Keller says, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing,” John has
helped and facilitated the adventure for so many of his students, colleagues and friends as well as inspired them to do the same for others.
Organization Award
Princeton-Blairstown Center was started 98 years ago (1908) as the Princeton Summer Camp by a small group of Princeton students and alumni. Offering a healthy and character building camping experience
and making a difference in the lives of disadvantaged inner-city children was and continues to be the emphasis of the camp and Center. Currently, Princeton- Blairstown Center serves inner-city youth, their families and communities as their primary mission. In addition to working with grass-roots social service agencies, the Center also serves the Princeton University community, a broad range of school groups, churches
and a variety of community organizations.
The Center focuses primarily on serving youth living in urban areas of New Jersey and neighboring states. These young people face enormous pressures and are often surrounded by crime, poverty and culture despair. Princeton- Blairstown counters these pressures with a message of hope and possibility. It emphasizes values to today’s families regardless of where they come from or where they’re going. By
offering youth a chance to experience nature walks, canoeing,
rope courses, hiking, swimming and other activities, the program provides youth the opportunity to learn to respect one’s self, to build self-esteem, and to conduct a life guided by values.
Veteran Award
Our Veteran Award this year goes to Benjy Simpson. Benjy the owner of Passages to Adventure in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Passages is an adventure company that provides opportunities to a diversified clientele including troubled youth, students, families, scouts, physically handicapped and corporate executives. This is where he is now, but
where he’s been is a story in its own right. Benjy began his professional career (after attaining his B.S. and Master’s degrees) as the recreation director for a juvenile institution in 1970 (he continues to work extensively with troubled youth). After a stint in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and parachute rigger, he was an instructor with Outward Bound in Minnesota and Colorado. There he developed physical education and adaptive Outward Bound programs and ropes courses at
colleges and juvenile placements. Benjy wrote Initiative Games in 1973, one of the first published books using games to recognize and solve problems. He was also on the steering committee in 1974 that created the Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group, a professional
group still active in AEE. This group focuses on utilizing adventure education as an effective treatment modality and alternative to traditional juvenile correction approaches and other programs.
