How did you first hear about Nature Camp? And how did you know that it was ‘the right place’ for you to go? Or to send your child? Or to recommend to a young person whose life you could touch — for what was likely their first – and potentially pivotal – 2-weeks-away-from-home summer camp experience?
I well remember Spring 2013, when I was seeking information about whether Nature Camp, sight-unseen to my husband and me, would be ‘that best place’ for our only child, Anna. As a family with no prior connection to Camp, it took some targeted effort to satisfy our parental curiosity and concerns, before even bringing up the subject with Anna – she, after all would be the ‘guinea pig’ in this family experiment. She applied, was accepted, and she attended Fourth Session that year. I remember clearly the sense of trepidation that filled our Subaru that Sunday summer morning. So many unknowns! And yet, we navigated our way from Richmond to Vesuvius. There, we dropped our Anna off. Nature Camp did turn out to be that ‘best place’ for Anna to learn and grow. She has returned every summer since.
Certainly most of us can say, without reservation, that once you visit Camp, you look forward to returning. And on the basis of this bedrock Nature Camp principle, this July 23rd, on the Saturday midway point of Third Session, we will again extend to prospective campers/families and other first-time-visitors the opportunity to experience Camp for an afternoon. Through offering this on-site sneak-peek, including a Camp tour and typical educational and recreational activities, we hope to both address concerns and spur commitment from prospective campers. We also hope to expand outreach and enhance broad-based community awareness of the mission and impact of Nature Camp.
Three years on from Spring 2013, Anna is excitedly preparing for her fourth year as a Camper, enrolled in Second Session, and I sit on the Nature Camp Inc. board with responsibility for Promotion & Publicity. We’ve become committed members of the camp community, and I am privileged to be supporting the board’s efforts to grow and broaden the Nature Camp family. At this time when ever-greater numbers of concerned parents and educators are embracing the vital importance to our planet, Camp offers young people the opportunity to experience direct, sustained encounters with nature. As our campers learn and grow, our mission- driven camp magnifies its impact in many important ways.
You can support this year’s Prospective Camper Day by helping spread the word throughout your networks. The audience, of course, is potential Nature Campers and their families. Flyers will be available in the coming weeks, and we’ll be posting information on the Nature Camp website and Facebook pages. Please direct all inquiries to me at sphomer@comcast.net or 703.405.3763 as we will be formally registering attendees and requesting RSVPs in advance of the event.
-Stacy Luks, Board member for Publicity and Promotions, Nature Camp Inc.