By Kevin Cashman, Apogee Founder
It’s hard for me to believe, but the summer of 2026 will mark Apogee’s 25th season!
When my wife, Gitta, and I sat at our kitchen table in the fall of 2001 brainstorming names for our nascent business, I told her I wanted the name to reflect our goals. The reason I wanted to start a program like Apogee was simple: I knew firsthand how outdoor adventures with clear goals and outstanding leadership could change people, especially young people.
I wanted our program to give kids experiences that left them brimming with confidence and pride — the kind of deep satisfaction that comes from taking on something new and, at times, challenging. Whether it was biking across New England (our very first trip was a ride from Burlington, Vermont, to Boston, Massachusetts), climbing Mt. Washington, or simply sleeping away from home for the first time, I wanted our students to come home feeling accomplished. What’s more, I wanted them to be able to carry that sense of achievement into other areas of their lives, whether trying out for a sports team, joining a new club, or being inspired to volunteer with a local organization.
A few days after our brainstorming session, Gitta (an English major and our family wordsmith) came into the house and said, “How about calling the program Apogee?” I knew immediately that was it. Apogee means the highest or farthest point — the peak, the apex. That’s what we want for our students: to reach their own highest point and to let that sense of accomplishment resonate long after their trip ends.
Each summer, we receive notes and emails from families describing the impact Apogee has had on their kids. Even after twenty-five years of running our programs those messages never get old. They remind me exactly why we do what we do. One note from this past summer from a parent still moves me every time I read it:
“We just needed to send a quick email to say THANK YOU!!! Our daughter, Mackenzie, had the most amazing time on her Pacific Coast trip. This was particularly meaningful for us as parents given Mackenzie’s introverted and quiet nature. We didn’t know how she would adjust to being with an unfamiliar group for this amount of time.
As the pictures started coming in through the blog, we saw a promising smile. But it was the mid-trip phone call that really showed the change in her. She was so excited to share everything about her trip — and even said she was glad it was a 20-day trip because anything shorter wouldn’t have been enough! That said it all. Our quiet, reserved kid was coming into her own — confident, comfortable, and having a blast. The kid who left a few weeks ago is not the same one who returned home. The growth she’s made is beyond words. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Stories like Mackenzie’s remind me why Apogee exists. They reinforce our mission: to help young people discover their strength, independence, and sense of accomplishment while having a lot of fun along the way. After 25 years, being in the business of making a difference still feels as meaningful as it did that very first summer.
If you have yet to have a child join us on one of our programs, we hope 2026, our 25th season, is the year you choose to take the leap! To read some more of our wonderful testaments to the power of an Apogee trip, please visit our Testimonials page.