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Our Story
In 1975, Dr. David M. Snyder, affectionately known as "Doc" moved to Rixeyville, Virginia. With a strong connection to the outdoors, Doc purchased a historical home on 100 acres of farmland in Rixeyville. His idea was simple – to use the farm for something good. Over the years, Doc learned from many local farmers and conservationists about how to care for and nurture his land. His initial vision was to create an arboretum – planting over 30,000 trees on the property with a native habitat walking tour.
The concept of Verdun Adventure Bound came from Doc’s love of Kurt Hahn’s Outward Bound© Model of experiential learning, which creates challenges to develop an enterprising curiosity, indefatigable spirit, tenacity in pursuit, readiness for sensible self-denial, and above all, compassion. He recognized the importance of these attributes, so he developed programs to foster these learnings and invited St. John’s youth group, school children from Washington DC, and his University of Virginia students to the farm for these outdoor activities and to enjoy and learn about Virginia’s native habitat. He also made the farm available to Boy and Girl Scout troops to camp. Doc had created a beautiful oasis and loved sharing his passion for the outdoors with all who would listen. In 1999, Doc and his wife, Bambi, decided to form a nonprofit organization, Verdun Adventure Bound, combining the name of the farm and a play on Outward Bound. They knew Verdun could have a positive impact on the lives of children, their families, and our community for years to come.
Verdun is now in its 24th year of operation, and what was once a small organization has grown into a place where thousands of people of all ages can reconnect with themselves and each other. Verdun programming asks participants to reflect on their personal philosophies, values, and relationships and consider what makes them who they are. Through this reflection and self-assessment, participants can then take steps to modify behaviors, grow, and be a better part of their communities.
The Verdun Adventure Bound experience provides people young and old with a nature-based approach to problem-solving and growth – with a key component being a complete disconnect from technology. By overcoming real-life, tactical challenges and relying on their own ingenuity, individuals leave a Verdun adventure with a sense of accomplishment that can be life-changing. For companies and organizations experiencing bottlenecks and low morale, Verdun’s programs bring teams into a fresh environment to reconnect as colleagues and realize their personal strengths and shared humanity.
The Acorn
The Acorn is a central philosophy in Verdun’s programming. Everyone has their own unique gifts (acorn) to share with the world. Just like an acorn, these gifts need nourishment to grow into the Oak tree it is meant to become. This nourishment comes from the individual and also from the group and community. We should look to consistently strive to grow our gifts while also doing all we can to grow and support the gifts of those around us. This shared responsibility allows each person to give their gifts to the world and create the strongest, most beneficial environment for all to flourish.