A little more than 50 years ago, I received one of the greatest gifts I could have ever imagined, even if I didn’t 100% see it like that at the time.
It was when Sheila, a single parent in New Jersey, working on her college degree at night, took out a payroll loan in order to send me to Kenwood & Evergreen.
We didn’t have much, but she made camp the top priority because she knew my cousins loved it there. She knew I would love it. She believed it was the right thing for me, at the time, and for my future. She was right.
She made a sacrifice in the form of a gift that meant I could return summer after summer. That gift came with me as a camper for years, left me a bit at age 17 when I wasn’t hired back as a junior counselor (can you believe it?!), returned after my freshman year of college, and kept going as I worked every summer through law school and while practicing law, until eventually purchasing the camp at 31.
I’ve wanted to repay this gift year after year, summer after summer, because camp, at its core, is a gift. It’s the gift of creating solutions for problems kids have had out there in the ever-shifting world for decades.
The world outside has changed, and it will continue to change for Gen-Alpha, but here at K&E we continue to give children these gifts to prepare for them an unknown, ever-changing, increasingly scary, and technologically robust landscape.
We are prepared to gift kids these skills because it’s what we’ve been doing since I stepped off that bus in 1973.
Eight-year-old Scott didn’t know it at the time, but it’s true. The future is unknown, but these gifts are timeless.
They are necessary. They are needed. They are crucial.
Gift #1: Problem-solving with a huge helping of teamwork
Camp isn’t just shooting bows and arrows, paddling boats, making friendship bracelets, or playing sports (although those are pretty great too). They’re accessing the incredible power of teamwork, of leaning on each other in moments where they need it most (even if they don’t realize it).
When you’re trying to build a campfire in the rain or navigating the whitewater of relationships that will probably your entire life; you quickly realize that asking for help isn’t at all a weakness – it’s a strength. Kids who understand this are markedly more prepared for the world than their peers.
Gift #2: Resilience with a dose of growth mindset
If you aren’t stepping outside your comfort zone or trying new things, are you even really at K&E?Maybe it’s conquering the zip line or performing in Hollowpalooza for the first time. Sure, those things can seem “scary” in the moment, but this is where the magic (or let’s call it growth) happens.
When kids learn to embrace challenges and see “failures” as opportunities to grow, they build resilience, sticking with them long after the last s’more’s been roasted. They learn that they’re stronger than they ever knew, and that mindset is a gift that keeps on giving. Resilience travels out into any environment, into any changing landscape.
Gift #3: Inspirational role models
Staff are the heart and soul of K&E. We don’t just hire them for their impressive CVs (although those are great, too) – their personal resumes need to include things like character, compassion, and ability to inspire.
These young adults are mentors and guides, defaulting towards encouragement in every moment, showing kids what real leadership looks like.
Kids see that standing up for what’s right, thinking critically, and embracing their unique awesomeness is the thing because they see put into practice from opening afternoon to the last day at camp.
Gift #4: Authentic human connection
Kids live in a world consistently and almost constantly glued to screens (I’m looking at you, TikTok). Camp is a literal and figurative breath of fresh air.
But from minute one, screens are replaced with face-to-face conversations (remember these?), impromptu dance parties, Color War teamwork, and inside jokes they remember long after the final day.
These connections are the ones that truly matter – the ones fire-forged through shared experiences, through laughter and tears (the happy kind), and through leaning on one another when it really counts.
This is what true friendship looks like, and it can’t happen over Facetime or Snapchat.
Gift #5: A lifelong sense of belonging
Maybe the greatest gift? The sense of belonging that camp provides. At K&E, your child is welcomed with open arms because there’s no other way to welcome someone. It’s unconditional.
This community cheers them on, picks them up when they fall, and reminds them that they matter. Because they do matter, the world might convince them of something else, but here, they’re part of something bigger than themselves.
Give this gift
When I think back on my own camp journey, I’m filled with gratitude for the gift my mom gave me all those years ago.
She knew camp mattered – that it would shape my values, my friendships, my very future. And boy, was she right.
Now, as I watch new campers step off that bus each summer, wide-eyed and eager for adventure, I’m reminded of this gift because it is the same one we give week over week. Year-after-year.
The world outside is changing, but the heart of what we do at K&E remains the same. We’re giving kids the tools they need to thrive – to be kind, brave, and their best selves.
It’s a gift we’ll keep giving, no matter how the world changes.
With warm regards,
Scott