At the Challenge Discovery, we never forget how important it is to give back to the community that supports us. Here are just a few of the ways we put good corporate citizenship into action every day.

•  Offering “open enrollment” programs to the community for FREE. Each month we offer an experiential learning program with a specific theme for anyone (certain restrictions may apply) that would like to learn more about themselves and others through a challenging, hands-on experience.  Themes include: resolutions and commitments, fitness, family relationships, perseverance and “thank you” to our veterans an families.
• Giving families a break. Because we never want anyone to miss out on our programs due to an inability to pay, we use 5% of our revenue to finance the Challenge Discovery’s Greater Good Campaign to provide scholarships and discounts to those in need.
• Caring for the earth. They say green is the new black, but we’ve been green for nearly 35 years. Our facilities are designed to work “with” the land, we use “green” construction techniques, earth-friendly products and recycle as many cans and plastic bottles as possible during programs.
• Keeping quality high and fees low. Our first priority is safety and the quality of our programs.  Doing it right and leaving nothing to chance is expensive.  As costs continue to rise, we do everything we can to keep our fees as low as possible.
• Supporting local charities. Every year, we donate more than $10,000 of “in-kind” donations to local organizations that use them for fund-raising auctions.

2014 will bring new and exciting programs to Challenge Discovery.  Although we don’t “officially” re-open our outdoor facility at the University of Richmond until the middle of March, we are working hard putting the finishing touches on some new programming options.  Here is a sneak peek as some of the programs and their content.

Our Transformational Learning program will now have three (3) options:

1. We will continue to offer the program that more than 80% of our clients enjoyed this year which uses the Odyssey Course to promote teamwork skills like communication, collaboration, support for others, trust and personal empowerment.  This is by far our most popular program and will continue to be based on feedback from 2013.  This program utilized one full level of the Odyssey Course (either the upper or lower level).

2.  One of the new programs we will offer is one in which we will only use 1/2 of one level of the Odyssey Course and spend more time on the ground doing “Low Initiatives” or ground-based problem solving exercises.  This program will be perfect for groups that feel like they may have participants that are not interested in spending as much time in the Odyssey Course and want to ensure that the experience is completely inclusive for all participants.

3.  Our third program in the Transformational Learning series is going to consist of entirely “Low Initiatives” or ground-based problem solving exercises. We have created this program primarily for Henrico County Public Schools although anyone can choose this program.

Henrico County Public Schools is the ONLY school system in the area that will not allow it’s students to participate in any kind of “high ropes course” activities.  We have written to the Henrico County Board of Supervisors and met with various school officials to see if this policy could be changed but they have made the decision to continue with the existing policy.  The good news however is that Henrico County Public Schools will allow it’s students to participate in our other programs that are all on the ground like our TeamMobile program that actually goes directly to the schools and works with students and faculty onsite.  We are hopeful that the policy will be changed someday in the future so all students in the Richmond community can benefit from the programs we deliver.  If you would like to support our effort in getting this policy changed, please contact the Division of Risk Management using the information below and reference CHALLENGE DISCOVERY.

Contact Information

Phone: (804) 501-5661
Fax: (804) 501-5663
[email protected]

Office Location:
1590 E. Parham Road
Henrico, VA 23228
(North Run Office Park)

Mailing Address:
Division of Risk Management
County of Henrico
P. O. Box 90775
Henrico, VA 23273

In addition to the adaptations to our Transformational Learning programs, we are also adding a “fitness/wellness” component to our Recreational programs.  Recreational programs generally focus on climbing, we will also discuss and do exercises related to balance, core strength, and understanding how the mind and body work together.  Adding these components will allow participants to “control” involuntary responses to being at height, be better able to manage stress and have a more successful experience in the Odyssey Course.

Finally, we are working to add an optional academic focus to our programs that work to augment the SOLS that many schools are required to meet.  We hope that by adding instructional components related to physics, mathematics, engineering, etc., we will be able to offer new options for school field trips that are relevant, cost effective and local.

As you can see, we have been working hard this winter to make Challenge Discovery even better in 2014.  We hope you will come out and experience our new programs.

The 5th graders at Collegiate School are no stranger to Challenge Discovery. We work with them once a month to develop their understanding of the school’s core values. In October, the kids came to Challenge Discovery to experience our Transformational Learning program. They filmed some footage they then used to create a video in their computer class. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/93KW3uyARJY

Every once in a while we hear back from people that have participated in our programs and share a bit about the impact our programs make. Our last post was trying to explain the DIFFERENCE between the work Challenge Discovery does and the kind of experience you might have at an adventure park, zip line park or other adventure program that focuses on recreation. Our work at Challenge Discovery is intentional and our facilitators work hard to ensure that the following core goals are met during every program:

Building, enhancing and deepening relationships.

Creating an environment of mutual support and respect for one another.

Enhancing a person’s self-image by offering them choices that allow them to grow.

Here is a note that we received the other day about a family that has been to Challenge Discovery several times. It makes us proud to know that after 33 years, we have not lost our purpose, we have not chased the wrong…short term opportunity or fad, and we continue to attract only the BEST people to join our team of facilitators.  Please read on.

I understand when families want to come to Challenge Discovery. As I have found with my family and friends doing the various programs…it really does give some great lasting memories and…change. My family still talks and laughs about the experience we all had at the old facility in Doswell, near Kings Dominion. Everyone had come into town (including our new brothers-in-law and sisters from Japan) for my brother’s wedding. Unfortunately, a few weeks prior to the wedding my brother had tried to commit suicide so the wedding was put on hold. Here we all gathered…with this “white elephant” in the room. So I took everyone to Challenge Discovery. It gave us time to talk about what happened (my brother was with us) in our “debrief circles,” we learned about each other “as adults”..not as “little brothers and sisters.” We laughed, (during Alaskan Football, Uncle Vao didn’t understand his role, so he chased the pig EVERY time someone threw it. Must have been his island upbringing!), we watched “Uncle” Demir overcome both his fear of heights…and spiders, with an idle threat from my dad on the ground yelling, “Demir, if you don’t do it, no more bread for you!” To which Demir responded,”No Daddy, (in his Turkish accent), I love your bread. I can’t NOT have bread!” Our group ranged in age from 70 to 10 years old. Still one of our favorite days as a family. That weekend had been set up, because of my brother’s actions, to challenge the “trust” our family had in each other….but our experience at Challenge Discovery turned that weekend into one of our best.

-(Contributor’s name withheld upon request)

With thousands of people attending our programs each year, we are sure we are having an impact on our community although we may not know what it for years to come. Thank you for your letter. It is gratifying to know our work had an impact on your family.

There was a recent news report that the Richmond Metro Zoo is building an adventure park that will provide new and different ways to view the animals.  I’m sure they are excited to complete this project and I’m sure the public is anxiously awaiting the opening of this new attraction.  If you are interested in learning more, here is a link that gives a little information: http://m.nbc12.com/autojuice?targetUrl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.nbc12.com%2fGlobal%2fstory.asp%3fS%3d23422778

We are excited for them too! At the same time, we have a few concerns about confusion and perception.  When we started in this business in 1980, ropes courses were used exclusively by outdoor adventure companies like Challenge Discovery, Outward Bound, NOLS and a few others for education, personal growth and development, and team building.  Today however, ropes courses are used in wider variety of venues and for a lot of different purposes.  I have seen metal “ropes course” structures that are part of miniature golf course complexes, I have seen ropes courses used as amusements in which they are set up for big festivals and then removed the next day, and I’m sure we have all heard about the various “zip line” companies that allow you to “fly” through tree canopies with ease.  All of these activities started with the traditional “ropes course,” who’s inherent design was to create a perception of risk that would allow people to grow beyond their comfort zone and create a sense of teamwork while working through this with other people in a group setting.

Today, these adventure parks, zip line companies and other courses are often referred to as “pay for play” activities in which you pay a fee to participate in a specific activity for a period of time.  It is no wonder that these kinds of companies are popping up all over the place…people love to feel the rush of adrenaline through their veins.  We get calls all the time asking if we do “zip lining” and although we have zip lines, we have to explain that we are not that kind of a company.

Challenge Discovery is not a “pay for play” program.  You can’t sign up as an individual for our programs (with the exception of Fearless Fridays).  You can’t buy a ride on the zip line, you can’t buy “lows or highs,” and you can’t expect to get out of the hard work.  Our programs are intentional team building experiences in which you MUST work together and you MUST do the hard work with yourself and with your team, and you MUST make the commitment to attend…oh, and it takes more than an hour!

Some people might say, “You have to change with the times,” or, “Go where the money is,” but I say we aren’t holding on to something that is old fashioned or something from the past.  I say (and our loyal clients would agree), this community needs Challenge Discovery more than ever.  Relationships need developing and nurturing.  People need to learn skills that help them work together more effectively and everyone can benefit from feeling good about themselves.  So as these new companies and activities continue to pop up around us, we will continue to work hard to make sure people know the difference between our team building programs and other “pay for play” activities.  There is a place for both.  Just make sure you know what you are looking for.

As we say…Adventure is Our Classroom.

We have recently posted a new video on our homepage.  This video show first-hand what people experience when they come to Challenge Discovery.  Enjoy.

Watch our latest video!

:30 second commercial for Challenge Discovery featured at American Family Fitness

Challenge Discovery has been working with youth populations for more than 30 years in the Richmond metro area. Until recently, our programs almost exclusively were conducted at one of our locations and normally included a ropes/challenge course component. Because of this, we also limited our programming to participants age 12 and older. Recently, we have started to expand our offerings and now include programs for younger ages that are conducted right at school. Challenge Discovery has introduced After School Enrichment programs for elementary age kids.

Rebecca Huber is our After School Enrichment specialist and has more than 13 years experience working in the Chesterfield Public Schools system and has spent the last 15 years raising two children of her own. Rebecca loves teaching and working with kids and has decided to help Challenge Discovery reach out and offer unique and distinguished After School Enrichment programs that are hands-on and that incorporate innovative content.

There are a number of organizations that are offering After School Enrichment programs, and after doing extensive research we have discovered a few things:

1. Many After School Enrichment programs are nothing more than glorified craft classes with an interesting name attached to it.
2. Unfortunately, many parents simply use After School Enrichment as a once or twice a week “baby sitting” service, so as long as the child isn’t complaining about what they are doing in class, all is okay.
3. Most of the instructors are not well trained to adapt activities to the needs of the kids in the class.

Challenge Discovery’s After School Enrichment Programs are carefully designed to engage each child in a themed activity delivered by a professional instructor. Our activities are unique, comprehensive and follow a thorough curriculum that lasts between 4–6 weeks, with each class building on the theme and culminating with a final experience that will keeps the kids talking.

At Challenge Discovery, we know that our participants will talk about their experience. They will either say good things or bad things. The worst thing for us would be if they didn’t say anything at all. We learned long ago that if people are going to talk about us in a positive way, we need our programs to stand apart from anything else remotely similar or even perceived as being similar. Our goal is to stretch the imagination, provide high quality programs and exceed participants’ expectations every time we deliver a program.

We want you to ask your kids, “What did you do in class today?” because we are positive that your kids won’t reply with, “Nothing.” They will tell you about the rocket that they designed and launched!

What to do as a “couple” in Richmond

First, let’s cut straight to the chase here….Challenge Discovery is not a counseling program and we do not promise to “fix” relationships. That being said however, how many things can you think of to do in Richmond as a couple that you would describe as “powerful, enlightening, adventurous, meaningful or life-changing?”

Imagine participating in an event with your significant other where you literally watch each other grow more self-reliant and confident. When was the last time you were truly vulnerable in front of your spouse? Do you really “feel” what they feel? Do you really know what they need? Are you confident that you can really “be there” for them?

Many of these questions can be answered through our programs at Challenge Discovery. We are constantly being asked, “Do you offer programs for couples?” Well, our answer is yes and no. The “no” part of the answer is that you can’t just sign up as a couple and have the two of you come through one of our programs. The “yes” part is that if you are a group of couples (10 or more total), we can put together a program for your group. Many churches have groups organized for couples or even singles as part of their offerings. We have also had neighborhood associations put together groups for a day or evening of fun and adventure.

Challenge Discovery is unique in that we work almost exclusively with groups. We are not a place where individuals can just walk through the door during business hours. Generally speaking, most of our groups are part of an intact group or team that will stay together for a period of time. Examples are soccer teams, youth groups, entire grade levels in schools, scout troops, etc. You would be surprised to learn, however, that we also work with a wide variety of groups that do not easily fit into these categories. Some of the types of groups we are seeing come to Challenge Discovery more and more are bachelor and bachelorette parties, birthday parties, graduation parties, etc. Any group that is interested in sharing a unique experience together and bonding in ways never thought possible chooses Challenge Discovery. We offer safe, challenging adventure for people age 12 and older.