By Karen McCall | Education Coordinator
While walking with Andrew one day during fall intersession camp, he suddenly exclaimed, "Winter camp is my favorite at Piedmont." When I asked why, he replied,"Because it is cold, and we get to play in the snow or with ice and other things you can't do in the summer or spring. There are not as many kids so we make close friends. It is just fun." Andrew's comments made me think about the perspectives our seasoned and new campers must have. It made me smile thinking that thanks to your support and despite the challenges that present during winter camp, we are able to create a place that seems especially magical in surprising ways.
"We went swimming!" shouted Hugh and several of the campers in our first week of three winter camps. The unusually warm weather combined with a ton of rain led to some impromptu activities for December. Ben said, "I love the feeling of the mud. I let the other kids spread it on me. It feels cool!" Then with a blink of an eye, summer like temperatures turned to cold and rainy the next week, providing a great chance to test our survival skills. A few of our campers did not come very well dressed for the elements and needed to get warm quickly so getting a fire going was met with a sense of urgency. That challenge provided Ramzi, one of our Counselors in Training, an opportunity to push his edge by teaching a group of students how to make a friction fire using a bow drill. Bow drill fires are not easy, especially when you are also trying to teach the skill!
But the best obstacle that was conquered was for a camp newcomer, one of the youngest in the group for the week. This child had never been to Piedmont Wildlife Center before. His mom brought him out the week prior to camp to get him familiar with the surroundings and ease his transition. He was nervous around a bunch of students he didn't know making it incredibly difficult to get his words out. After a day or so, he was determined to push through his discomfort and express himself to the group! "This kid was struggling then basically put his foot down, and said 'no, I can do this', took a breath and started to talk to the group slowly but with ease. It was such a touching moment to witness his frustration then success. That was probably the best one-on-one camper experience I have been part of in a long time as a counselor," said Jarl.
Thank you for helping us create experiences that are so special, push edges, and allow us to help kids conquer their own challenges or fears. We look forward to spring camp, hoping to provide more magical moments, push edges, and make new friends. We could not do this without your support.
Take some time this winter to overcome an obstacle or push your boundaries. Feel your inner child's heart soar and a smile spread across your face as you experience what our campers do, and know you help provide that sense for children in need. You may be surprised at how good it makes you feel!
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
