Welcome to the Aim High Reach, the newsletter of Aim High! Stay connected with Aim High throughout the year with highlights from the program, news and happenings from our headquarters, and information on the many ingredients that make the Aim High recipe work for 23 years and counting.
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View more editions of the Aim High Reach: Sept 08 , Nov 08 , Dec 08, Feb 09, March 09, May 09, June 09
Nosh, Shop and Support Aim High at Sports Basement Happy Hour
Introducing the Aim High Online Store: Original Designs and Logo Apparel
Aim High Supporter Runs 28-Mile Quadruple Dipsea, Raises $10K for Aim High
Board Member Spotlight: Adolfo Reidel
Aim High on Facebook: Be a Fan!
Nosh, Shop and Support Aim High at Sports Basement Happy Hour
Join Aim High at Sports Basement for snacks, wine, and gear on Monday, December 15th, from 6:00-8:00 pm. You’ll receive 10% off your purchases, and Aim High will receive 10% of the proceeds!
Aim High Happy Hour at Sports Basement
Monday, December 15th
6:00-8:00pm
Sports Basement
610 Old Mason St (across from Crissy Field)
San Francisco, CA 94129
10% savings for you + 10% contribution to Aim High
Snacks, beer and wine
Nothing to buy? Consider making an in-kind donation to Aim High! Aim High's Environmental Home needs sleeping bags, ground pads, rain gear, and more.
We hope to see you there! For more information, contact Kat White by email or phone: 415-551-2333.
RSVP for Aim High Happy Hour at Sports Basement
Introducing the Aim High Online Store: Original Designs and Logo Apparel!
We know you want it: the Aim High hoodie to keep you warm on those chilly summer mornings; the logo canvas tote that will make you the envy of the farmer’s market; the graphic t-shirt for your niece or your BFF; the Aim High mousepad to show your support at home or at the office. Also, we think your baby would look pretty stylish sporting an Aim High romper.
Good news! The Aim High online store is now open for business, with original designs and tons of products to choose from. Visit today to order in time for the holidays!
You’re welcome.
Shop the Aim High Online Store
Aim High Supporter Runs 28-mile Quadruple Dipsea, raises $10K for Aim High
Marin County’s Dipsea Trail stretches 7.4 miles and climbs 1,370 feet along the northern face of Mt. Tamalpais. Aim High fan John Rutledge ran it four times in five and a half hours – and is turning this accomplishment into $10,000 in support for Aim High.
Every year, hundreds of runners converge on Mill Valley for the Quadruple Dipsea, an annual 29-mile ultramarathon along the trail that runs from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach through Muir Woods National Monument and Mt. Tamalpais State Park. The Dipsea Trail’s terrain varies from highway shoulders and parking lots to wilderness paths and a brutal climb of 671 steps. Though the highest elevation on the course is 1,370 feet, racers climb and descend more than 9,000 feet over the course of the race.
Before taking on the Quad Dipsea, John’s longest race had been the 7.4-mile single Dipsea, which he has run for the last 3 years. John has been running for just 5 years, starting the day his wife insisted that he join her for a trail run.
John had been interested in trying a marathon, but was not interested in switching to road running. Slightly longer than a marathon and traversing a familiar trail, the Quad Dipsea seemed like a good – if challenging – race to try.
Though it’s one of the shortest ultramarathons, the Quad Dipsea’s steep elevation changes, twisty trails and alluringly unmarked “shortcuts” make it one of the most treacherous. Many of the race’s 250 runners are professional or semi-professional athletes.
John was near the head of the pack for the first three-quarters of the race, remaining in the top 20. He finished in 5 hours and 20 minutes, just over an hour behind the winner.
To prepare, John trained three times a week in the Marin County hills near his Larkspur, CA home. He decided that the hours he was dedicating to training could also be used to help people, and set a goal to earn $10,000 in sponsorships for his run.
Aim High came to mind as the organization to support, Rutledge says, because of its balance of academics and environmental education. “I personally believe that there is a sense of calmness that you can only pick up in the outdoors, without the distractions of TV and shopping and work at home.”
Sharing the outdoors with youth and teaching environmental stewardship is a key component of Aim High’s summer program, which recently expanded its environmental sites to serve students in Oakland and the South Bay.
John hasn’t committed to running the Quadruple Dipsea again next year, preferring to focus on the most imminent outdoor challenge: conquering snow season with son Dylan, 5, and daughter Cassidy, 3.
He also plans to continue seeking support for Aim High. “I work in the financial services industry,” he says, “so my colleagues are feeling the financial crunch – but people gave! I think I’ve opened a lot of people’s eyes to the work that Aim High does.” As of this publication, John was about halfway to his $10,000 goal.
To John, the real outcome of the experience was driving home the point that you can do whatever you put your mind to.
“The first guy to finish was a professional runner who finished in just under 4 hours. The last guy to cross the finish line was 11 hours later – he was 82 years old. The question is, do you want to do it?”
Support John's Run at firstgiving.org
Board Member Spotlight: Adolfo Reidel
When Adolfo Reidel moved to San Francisco from Nicaragua at the age of 13, he wasn’t focused on standing up for worker’s rights, mobilizing people for political campaigns, or serving on the boards of nonprofits. He was focused on learning to speak English.
Entering St. Paul’s Grammar School, Adolfo was reading at a 3rd-grade level, and was held back a grade level because of his language skills.
Aim High gave Adolfo the opportunity at a transformative summer. “Aim High was the foundation of my academic experience,” he says, twenty years later. “I had the ability to practice my English in a supportive environment – to be unafraid of speaking with an accent or making mistakes.”
After two summers of Aim High and two years of remarkable academic progress in school, Adolfo graduated St. Paul’s grammar school with top grades in St Paul’s Literature Track, the highest level of language arts classes, and earned admittance to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School.
Graduating from the University of California at Berkeley and Northern Illinois University College of Law, Adolfo returned to the Bay Area to serve low-income residents as a lawyer through Bay Area Legal Aid.
He found, however, that serving one person at a time was not enough.
Today, Adolfo represents workers on their grievances against employers, negotiates contracts between unions and employees, and educates workers on political issues as a Worksite Organizer for Local chapter 521 of the Service Employees International Union.
Like many graduates, Adolfo also returned to Aim High as a faculty member, teaching at the Lick-Wilmerding site from 1995 through 1997.
As a member of Aim High’s Board of Directors, Adolfo continues to serve low-income bay area youth as an advisor of Aim High’s operations, an advocate for its strong program, and an illustration of its success.
“I needed to know that I was having a wider impact,” he says of his work. “Doing a lot of good for a lot of people is the goal.”
Be a Fan: Aim High on Facebook
Facebook users: did you know you can become a fan of Aim High on Facebook? Becoming a fan is an easy way to find out about updates and events, view Aim High photos, network with Aim High fans like yourself, and share your Aim High love with your friends and colleagues.
Visit the Aim High Facebook Page and become a fan!
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View more editions of the Aim High Reach: Sept 08 , Nov 08 , Dec 08, Feb 09, May 09
Aim High is proud of the incredible accomplishments of our students and faculty this summer, and we could not have achieved great things without the help of our funders and supporters. Thanks for making this a great year, and stay tuned for more updates to come!
For more information on any of these topics, contact Kat White, Communications Coordinator, by email or phone: 415-551-2333.