It is hard to quantify what goes on at camp. We know that we climbed sixteen different mountains, that we rode hundreds of miles on horseback, that we made our s’mores with fourteen cases of graham crackers, seventeen cases of marshmallows, and ten cases of Hershey bars, and that we washed them down with 112 pounds of hot chocolate.
We cannot begin to tell you, however, how many times we laughed together, or how many songs were sung around the campfire or in the Lodge. We don’t know how to count the moments of wonder or the times when someone accomplished something they didn’t think they could. There are no calculators that can figure how many special friendships were made, and no charts can tell us how many of us learned something about teamwork, tolerance, resilience, or perseverance. But we know that all of these things happened and we hope that campers will return home with increased self-confidence, a new appreciation for the out-of-doors and many wonderful memories.
In her new book, “Raising Happiness”, Dr. Christine Carter writes, “If I had to pick the one thing that matters most to human happiness, I would say that our relationships with other people matter more than anything else.” She goes on to say that in order to raise happy, successful children, “We need to embed our children in rich communities of relationships with whom they can hone their social skills. These relationships will provide them with a deep sense of security and be sources of joy and growth; they will feed their souls.”
Our summer camp community IS rich in the relationships that will feed, and have fed, children’s souls over the years and for many more years to come.