family life | F E AT U R E
CAMP ALLEN 100 years of summer camp
Camp Allen turns 100 this year. In these turbulent, uncertain times, it is nice to see a time honored tradition continue. I don’t know about you, but it gives me great comfort to know that some things are a constant. Not only that, but they are growing and moving forward with new offerings and expansion!
To commemorate this goal, HFM spoke with our friends at Camp Allen to learn a little bit more about where they started, their milestones over the years and what the plans are for the future. It truly is a great story.
100 YEARS IS QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT! WHY DO YOU FEEL CAMP ALLEN HAS BEEN ABLE TO REACH THIS MONUMENTAL GOAL?
19
p m a C r e m 20- Sum
Summer camp, generally speaking, provides an invaluable service to families. Campers are given an opportunity to leave home and experience something completely different. The people are new, the environment is new, and the activities are new; these things create windows for growth. Camp Allen can cultivate an environment that keeps campers safe and opens new possibilities for developmental growth. When we find safe places that help us connect and grow as people, those places become important. I think Camp Allen figured this out a long time ago and made it a priority. Also, it helps that Camp Allen is really, really fun. 14 | HOUSTON FAMILY MAGAZINE March 2021
HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN? WHO FOUNDED CAMP ALLEN? Our namesake, Rosa Lum Allen, donated her summer home on Sylvan Bay and later additional land that became a summer camp for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. In truth, several church leaders played essential roles in creating a vision for what this place could become. Our community owes a debt to all those who saw a need and built an idea into a solution. That gift continues to bless our community today.
THERE ARE SO MANY CHOICES WHEN SENDING YOUR CHILD TO CAMP. WHAT ARE THE PHILOSOPHIES/ MISSION OF CAMP ALLEN? Since our inception, Camp Allen has grown to include summer camp, an outdoor education program, a hotel and conference center for groups and log cabins and lodges for personal retreats. Each maintains different guiding principles. For summer camp, we want to participate in loving God and His people. We hope that by sharing the
