Around the Campfire

Summer camp is in full swing at Camp Shawnee in Martin, Ky. and Camp Andrew Jackson in McKee, Ky. Americorps/VISTA volunteer and contributing writer Felicia Carter, 23, of Monticello, Kentucky, asked Barry Powers and Mike O’Brien, coordinators at Camp Shawnee and Camp Andrew Jackson, respectively, to share their thoughts about what makes Christian Appalachian Project’s camp program so distinctive.

Felicia: Why have you chosen to invest your life in Christian Appalachian Project’s summer camp program?

Barry: I have chosen to invest my life into camp because camp invested in me. When I was younger, camp was an escape for me. I shared a room with my sister for 16 years. Any opportunity to get some time away, I took.

When I was young, my parents lived somewhere between the bottom of the middle class to just above the poverty line. My father was a hard-working carpenter who provided us with a phenomenal childhood, but we were still very poor. Camp provided me with a muchneeded vacation on a yearly basis. I strive very hard to provide that for the kids that come to camp today.

Beyond all of that, camp is where my relationship with Christ began. Although I knew about Him and what He stood for, it was not until I spent time with counselors who were investing their lives in me and saw Christ in them that I understood what Christianity and grace truly meant. God called me to work with kids at summer camp. For those reasons, I have devoted my life to Him and His mission. My Soul.” One of the lines in the song goes “In these bodies we will live; in these bodies we will die. Where you invest your love, you invest your life.” That’s it in a nutshell. I’ve loved summer camp since I was a kid attending them, and the only jobs I’ve ever really loved were summer camp jobs. I love that camp is a way to empower and encourage kids in a non-structured way. I get to encourage them to play, affirm that they are special and cool and someone cares about them, and help them find joy in these truths.

Also, I met my wife at Camp Andrew Jackson. We were married here at the large fire pit in 2011. We both love what camp means to the kids, the counselors, the parents, and everyone associated with it. Camp is a place to be happy just being yourself. We don’t ask kids or counselors to be “professional” or act in a certain way. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? I want to be here to help make camp better for kids and counselors, year in and year out.

Felicia: What are you most looking forward to this summer?

Barry: I’m looking most forward to the same thing I look forward to every summer—the smiling faces coming up the hill to be with us for a week. It is a joy

to see them coming every summer and to see the joy we are able to provide to them. Roughly 85 percent of our campers live below the poverty line, and a significant percentage of those live in foster care. Providing them with that vacation or escape and having the opportunity to inspire them to something greater is a huge blessing.

In movies, kids being dropped off at camp often act like they dread it, some crying because they don’t want to go. In my experience at Camp Shawnee, the exact opposite is true. I cannot count the number of kids who can’t wait to get to camp and begin their new adventure with us. When they do cry, it’s usually because they don’t want to leave. They realize their escape from the harsh realities of their everyday lives is over.

Our campers experience unconditional love and security for a week, thanks to Christian Appalachian Project supporters and their gifts. We hope they are able to hold onto that gift for as long as possible when their time with us is over.

Mike: I’m most excited to have kids here. It’s been a long winter, and I’m itching to be outside swimming and playing and laughing and screaming. Other than that, we have a ton of new stuff at camp. We have three new hiking trails, a nature/wilderness education program, a gaga pit (a toned- down hybrid of soccer and dodge ball), turtle races, and the coolest thing - a professional performance stage with curtains and spotlights for our talent show. Our junior counselors (16- and 17-year olds who are too old to be campers and too young to serve as counselors) planned and built it. They had the idea and put it into action as a way to give back to the camp they’ve been coming to for eight or nine years. Barry: There is nothing like it in the world. For a week at a time, we have a captive audience that is eager to have a good time and learn as much as possible. Our theme at Camp Shawnee this year is “Superhero Summer.” Each day the kids will be looking at a different superhero and learning to practice traits we should emulate, such as service, responsibility, respect, peacemaking, and humility. For example, one day will be devoted to Captain America and his unrelenting devotion to service and how each of us should find a way to serve others.

Also we have presenters who will teach on a variety of topics. For example, a representative from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife will help campers learn about animals and the environment and how to care for them so that they are here for the next generation to enjoy.

All that being said, what I love most about camp is our ability to provide a safe, loving environment for kids that allows them to “just be kids,” if only for a little while. So many of the children come from poverty-stricken environments. They may not know where their next meal will come from or what it will be. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to banish those worries from their minds and allow them to think more along the lines of “When do I get to go swimming?” or “I wonder what craft we’re making today.”

Our job at camp is to be the fulfillment of Matthew 25:37-40. “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” That’s what truly brings my love of camp to life.

Mike: I love camp because every year, no matter what, this huge group of young people comes from around the country to volunteer because they believe in each camper’s life and potential. This place draws in people who give their hearts to these kids, making camp the most magical week possible. I think back to one of my mentors at camp who once looked at all of us young

counselors with tears in her eyes and demanded of us to “Love those kids with everything you’ve got.” Somehow, no matter the group of counselors we have, every single one of them wrings every last drop of love out of their hearts and pours it into this camp and these kids. That’s why we’re special - it’s not about money or friendship or being outside. It’s about the kids.

Felicia: How many campers will you have?

Barry: We have 80 beds, and average between 400-500 campers during a typical summer.

Mike: We also have 80 beds. We serve 500-600 kids every summer.

Felicia: How many volunteers do you have each summer? Where do they come from? What’s the value of having them? Why do you think they return?

Barry: We have 50-60 camp counselors each summer. Some stay for a week, some for the entire summer. We’ve had counselors from almost every state and from as far away as Ireland and the Philippines.

They are truly dedicated individuals who come here at their own expense because of their love for kids and Christ. We could not hold camp without them. They provide unconditional love to children who desperately need it. Their service is the best example of selflessness that many of the kids will see. Beyond that, the kids are always encouraged by them and the stories they bring and the things that they are doing in life.

There’s a quote that reminds me of our counselors and the inspiration they provide to our kids: “Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” - Shel Silverstein

Our counselors have gone on to do great and mighty things. It’s an opportunity for campers to have the opportunity to see that it’s possible to rise above your circumstances in life and be the person God has gifted you to be. Campers learn a lot from our counselors.

They come back for the same reasons that I always did: the camaraderie and the understanding that you’re engaging in something much larger than yourself. In just a few weeks’ time, the counselors will forge lifelong friendships. My best friend is someone I met at camp over 20 years ago. He and I have been in each other’s weddings, and I was there for the birth of his first child.

Finally, there’s just something about camp. Anyone who’s ever worked at a camp will tell you how much they loved it. Camp Shawnee is a special place. Once you’ve experienced it, it’s in your heart forever.

Mike: Our counselors are the reason this camp still is here, because we couldn’t afford to pay 20 counselors per week to be here. They come back because they believe in Camp Andrew Jackson. They form incredible, unbreakable friendships in the few short weeks they’re here. Like the campers, they love to be outside and swim and scream and sing songs surrounded by love and sunshine and laughter. They come back because they see what camp does for kids. They come back because there’s something about Camp Andrew Jackson that captures the deepest, most special place in your heart. And you can’t get it back. You can only leave it here for future generations of campers and counselors.