Top 10 Mission Moments of 2023
In 2023, your gifts moved mountains for kids in our city…YOU connected more than 5,000 kids to nature, their peers, and themselves. On behalf of the entire Camptown team, THANK YOU. Each year, we are blown away by the way people like YOU show up for our mission and we would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that we truly can’t do this good work without you. So many monumental things happened this year, but here are the top 10 mission moments of 2023:
1) Indy Metropolitan High School students experienced the trip of a lifetime, by visiting the snowy Rocky Mountain National Park during spring break.
2) Camptown’s Youth Leaders program doubled in size and visited new locations like the Indiana Dunes & Garden of the Gods in Southern Illinois.
3) The first pilot of Wilderness to Wellness launched in August, allowing 14 students from Hope Academy (a substance recovery high school) to find strength in adventure through a week-long backpacking expedition.
4) Camptown offered 25 days of Natural Wonders Day Camp at Fort Harrison State Park, allowing more than 1,200 kids to experience the joy of canoeing, fishing, and hiking, often for the very first time.
5) Thanks to our partners at IPS, Camptown played an integral part in their “Rebuilding Stronger” plan by offering multiple days of teambuilding and off-site programs for teachers and students alike.
6) The Trailblazers program, specifically designed to teach students with disabilities life skills through outdoor activities, ran at full speed serving more than 100 students!
7) Camptown’s Glamp-Out raised more than $100,000 for Camptown kids!
8) Trivia Night had a successful launch by inviting in new supporters, raising $17,000 for our Youth Leaders program, and offering unlimited fun!
9) Thanks to the generosity of the Lilly Endowment Inc., we received $474,000 to expand outdoor adventure programming and sustainably build capacity!
10) Lesly Ramirez, a beloved REACH for Nature (Camptown after school program) Facilitator and former Camptown participant was awarded the Excellence in Summer Service Education Award from MCCOY!
There is so much more that could be added to this list, but ultimately, none of this would be possible without the encouragement and generosity of our community. If you would like to learn more about our mission, we’d love to talk! You can call us at 317-471-8277 or connect with us on social media @camptownindy.