Sharing the joy of hiking while helping those who battle mental illness – that is what our hikes are about.
How do the hikes work?
- We organize and promote responsible wilderness hikes.
- Hiker-volunteers collect sponsorships to participate in the hikes.
- We distribute 100% of the net proceeds to our mission causes.
Registering for a HIKE for Mental Health is free, but most hikes have a sponsorship requirement that must be met by hike day in order to participate.
How does sponsorship work?
Upon registering for a hike, we will set up a sponsorship page in the hiker’s name on our website. The hiker can personalize it to explain why he or she is supporting HIKE for Mental Health. (See examples)
Hikers spread the word about their hike via word of mouth, email, Facebook, Twitter and other social media to potential sponsors, encouraging them to contribute to the cause through the sponsorship page.
A few weeks before the hike, we provide hikers with final details. For safety and security reasons, we do not generally publish exact starting times or locations for our hikes in advance.
The hikes are always a great time of meeting new friends and enjoying the wilderness. While the hikes are guided, everyone is encouraged to hike at his or her own pace and style. For more information about the hikes, take a look at the schedule or check out the FAQ’s.
Hike your own hike
For hikers who do not want or are not able to join one of our planned hikes, we have another way to become part of HIKE for Mental Health. Register a hike in your area as a HIKE for Mental Health. There is no cost, and it does not open the hike up to others to participate (unless you want it to). As with our regular hikes, we will set up a sponsorship page for you to personalize. You can set your own fundraising goal then spread the word to collect sponsors for your hike. Then go hike your own hike, knowing that your hike is making a difference for those battling mental illness.
Where the money goes
100% of funds received from hikes go to our mission causes.
Eighty percent of the hike donations provide grants that enable scientific research aimed at alleviating suffering from mental illness, as well as to fund programs to eliminate th stigma surrounding mental illness. Every week, science yields a better understanding of and better treatments for mental illnesses. So much progress has been made. And yet, the work is not done while so many people and families still battle the diseases and the stigma. We work through the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and their outstanding NARSAD grants program and through our own programs to eliminate the stigma.
Twenty percent of the hike donations support preservation of wilderness trails. It is our way of giving back to the people and organizations that make it possible for all of us to enjoy our time on wilderness trails. We partner with well-established trail maintenance organizations to ensure the funds are spent in a responsible and impactful way.
More information
To see more about our mission, click here or contact us.