4-H camp was a successful week for all who attended. For the first time since 2019, a since of normalcy had retuned. The Covid-19 pandemic took a toll on so many aspects of life, including camp. In 2021, Christian County took 56 campers to West Kentucky 4-H camp due to limited capacity. Contrary to this, our camp numbers were at an all-time low in the years leading up to the pandemic as well. Due to many factors, recruiting excited young people to come to camp was consistently difficult. This has changed for Christian County. In the year 2022, we took 154 to West Kentucky 4-H camp. In the year 2007, we had 158 campers. We are proud to say we are almost back to the skyrocketing numbers we had in 2007. During this 15-year gap, camp number had steadily increased. 

This year, the combination of social media, school presentations, and returning campers helped to promote 4-H camp. There were 27 returning campers, but majority learned about the camping program from distributed camp promotion flyers.. A blogger from the Children’s Bureau wrote, “A summer camp program provides a safe environment for children to develop social skills, decision-making skills, and maybe even experience the great outdoors.” Our hope is that the campers of West Kentucky 4-H camp experienced all of these and are excited to return next year.