The mission of Kentucky 4-H Camping is to improve people through intentional life skill development. In 2020, 4-H Camp was cancelled which disappointed many youth and volunteers. This year, with the opportunity to take campers to camp at half capacity, excitement filled in my county. When enrollment was opened, all available spaces were filled within two weeks (that has never happened before). Parents wanting their youth to get back to normal activities and youth wanting to be with friends and resume some type of normalcy was the driving force behind camp filling up quickly.

Fulton County took a total of eighteen campers.  There were six returning campers and four of the volunteers had previously volunteered.  4-H Summer Camp adds so much value to a youth’s life by learning how to self-care (getting up, showered, dressed), responsibility (getting to classes on time), and opportunities to engage and socialize (trying something new and meeting new people).

It’s rewarding to see the excitement on a camper’s face, to see them race to the bus to head to camp, and come up to me after attending classes and tell me all the wonderful things. Fulton County is unique in that many of the campers that attend camp, many of the families cannot afford to send them at the full cost. So having donations from the community and District Board allows them to go at a discounted rate. These campers are usually the ones whom do not go on a summer vacation, so being able to leave their small town for a few days makes their summer fulfilling.

Of the eighteen teen campers who attended camp, Fulton County did not have any incident reports, bad behavior reports, or homesickness. All but two of the campers had never been in a canoe and all said that class was the most fun class. And lastly, all the campers but one said they cannot wait to return to camp next year!