As we do every year, we cap off the summer with two weeks of back to back camp! Today, we get ready to greet about 200 boys and girls for their last hurrah before they head back to school. This week, they come to us from 11 different states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.
While they come from different parts of the country, it's always striking how much these kids (and all of us) have in common. Whether it's the nervous excitement of trying something new, feeling homesick, clicking with a new friend as if you'd known each other forever, or the glorious can't-help-it grin when we finally accomplish something we've been working on all week—we all ultimately share many of the same hopes and dreams.
We try to get the kids out of their comfort zones: making friends with new people on their team, trying new things that may involve facing a fear of heights, leaving their cities for a camp on the Chesapeake Bay where it gets really, really dark and quiet at night. Of course, there are plenty of folks cheering them on each step of the way. We hope that our campers leave, not just having had plenty of fun, but also with a newfound sense of confidence in their abilities to face their fears and tackle new challenges.
Stay tuned all week for updates for what we're doing and learning at camp! We will also be tweeting updates and pictures, so if that’s more your speed, get live updates on Twitter by following the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation program team or #CRSFCamp.