Catching Up with Lilburn Day Camp By Tana Poncsak
For many, summertime is synonymous with summer camp. And if you grew up or live around Lilburn, that might include Lilburn Day Camp, also known as Lilburn Girl Scout Day Camp. The camp has been around for more than forty years and is still going strong. Deanna Simmons happens to be a Lilburn Day Camp expert, having been a part of the camp since its inception. She has served in a number of roles including camp director and camp nurse. A nurse for more than fifty years, Deanna spent most of her career as a pediatric nurse because of her love for children. She retired about ten years ago, but she still enjoys taking care of the campers. Deanna recalls getting the camp started. There was a core of five women who approached the city of Lilburn about starting the day camp back in 1982. She remembers how helpful and instrumental former Mayor Diana Preston, who has since passed away, was in making their dream become a reality. During the past four decades, Deanna, Catsy Clinger, Lyn Risher, Martha Whitman, Kathy Lewis, and Kary Alecia, serving as camp directors, have all done their part in making the camp a success. Since those early times, Deanna has seen many changes. “Early on we had walk-in registration because we didn’t have computers back then,” she says. Now registration is online. Deanna spent the first five years of the camp as the camp nurse, and then fifteen years as the camp director. For the last seven years, she’s back as the camp nurse caring for campers. And now her daughter, Kathryn White, and her daughter-in-law, Kimberly Simmons, have joined the camp as part of the staff as well. During camp week, campers are divided into age groups starting with rising first graders through seventh graders. They must also be registered Girl Scouts. There are also special accommodations for the children of volunteers. Deanna says the first year of camp they had an estimated seventy-five campers, and from there the numbers grew until the pandemic, when they moved to an online version of the camp due to COVID restrictions. Now they are back to an in-person camp, and Deanna says they’re back up to around 200 campers. Camp activities include an opening ceremony where a different Color Guard Unit presents the colors each morning, and they have singing,
September 2023 Our Town Gwinnett
announcements, and more. Then campers break out for their journeys that include activities such as cooking, crafts, and scout skills. New activities are added from year to year. Deanna started the activity called “Creek Walk” in the mid-1990s, and this past year, “Beyond the Creek” was added to give campers a chance to see and interact with some unique animals. In addition, the camp gives the many scouts in attendance a chance to do some work toward earning their coveted badges. It’s through these activities that campers can gain valuable life skills as well as self-confidence and leadership skills. The camp’s most significant challenges include weather. Being outdoors in the summertime in Georgia can sometimes mean some stormy weather. And then there’s the need for volunteers. The number of volunteers needed is based on the number of registered campers for any given year. Deanna says there’s a mentoring program for new volunteers to help Continued on page 16
PAGE 15
