Some of my favorite summer days are those with Eagle Mount, especially their program for children who have cancer. We all enjoy warm weather and outdoor activities but few appreciate them more than Eagle Mount participants.

Fortunately, spring creek-fed ponds on our ranch are ideal for Eagle Mount’s “Camp Brave Heart” for local, national, and international children. They revel in a joyous day of fishing. Sharing in their pleasure is a highlight of the year for Ramona and me.

Social entrepreneurs make such experiences possible. Here’s how it worked with Eagle Mount.

In 1982, when Air Force General Robert C. Mathis and his wife Greta retired to Bozeman, they envisioned a new opportunity: an organization to bring outdoor activities to persons with disabilities. Many barriers isolated these folks from the beauty and recreational joys of the Rocky Mountains.

Twenty-one years of work by dedicated individuals have torn down these barriers and produced phenomenal results. Once smart, determined individuals create the prototype of a well-functioning institution, it is relatively easy to replicate.

Expanding its services across Montana, the United States, and into several foreign countries, Eagle Mount has broadened its original downhill and Nordic ski programs to now include a dozen activities. Currently, four major programs include skiing, therapeutic riding, a swim program, and Big Sky Kids (a summer camp). Additionally, they offer ice skating, golf, soccer, dance, horticulture, and back country camping trips.

Those working for Eagle Mount often have special training to provide these therapeutic opportunities. Not only do they have infectiously positive spirits, but their creativity leads to innovative equipment that makes these activities possible.

Eagle Mount emphasizes more than new skills. It encourages participants to challenge their limits. Eagle Mount strives to release unknown potential and build self-esteem. Many of the ski and equestrian participants have gone on to enter competitions and even become instructors. Aquatic therapy increases muscle tone, flexibility, and endurance. The Big Sky Kids program exemplifies Eagle Mount’s contributions.

Children with cancer unite in southwest Montana to forget about their painful treatments. They gain support and encouragement from others who experience similar hopes and fears. They build a support system that bolsters their resolve.

Let’s celebrate our most creative workers, social entrepreneurs. I appreciate those who have provided Google, the Mac, and health clubs such as The Ridge. But I have gained even greater admiration for the products of social and environmental entrepreneurs. Such folks create value, sometimes great but unmeasurable benefits. They have no expectations of profits, for that’s not the motivating force with these entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs have been neglected by economists and ignored or derided by environmentalists. Economist Mark Casson correctly notes that economic modeling “leaves no role for the entrepreneur.” The economics discipline has become ever more abstract and mathematical. Economists are selected for their sophistication in math and statistics, not their understanding of how the real world works. They have no way of modeling the creativity of entrepreneurs. Hence, economists neglect one of society’s most dynamic forces.

This is too bad, because everyone works for love and money and few get enough of either. It is indeed unfortunate that entrepreneurs aren’t at least appreciated if not loved, for they are the catalysts of progress and change. They seek opportunities to create value—but the values sought need not be measured in dollars.

Thomas Sowell at Stanford’s Hoover Institution is an economist I greatly respect. He’s noted: “What economists measure best is not what matters most.” The entrepreneurs I most admire are those working in the social and environmental arenas.

We find successful entrepreneurs in the environmental and human service contexts but more would be welcome. They created Habitat for Humanity, the Sonoran Institute, the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Central Asia Institute, and Eagle Mount.

Responsible people want to do good deeds, to improve the way the world works. Entrepreneurs notice a void, then organize and mobilize resources to fill it. Eagle Mount is an excellent example. Thanks to all who work for and support Eagle Mount. Please join us in supporting their mission. Those with special talents may be motivated to become social or environmental entrepreneurs. Solving problems through cooperation, not coercion, is a worthwhile goal.