Julie Noel with fellow trip mentors and Zionsville STEPS students at McCormick’s Creek State Park (circa 2011)
John and Julie Noel with their daughter (~1996-2000)
For Julie Noel, Camptown offers exactly what students need: a safe place to gain new experiences and learn how different the world can be. As she says, “you don’t know what you don’t know.”
A Bloomington native, Julie got her start in youth programming as a counselor with Camp Riley, an adaptive specialty camp hosted by Bradford Woods. There, she not only saw the power of outdoor adventures, but also met her husband, John. Together, they’ve built a life centered on youth empowerment and nature restoration; after serving as white water rafting guides, Julie became a special education teacher and John a geologist.
Julie’s Camptown journey began at Zionsville High School, where she was encouraged by Don Schafer, our former Executive Director, to become the new sponsor for her school’s Trailblazers program. As her program’s head, she witnessed the parallels between exposure-based learning and special needs programming, both in how it helps children grow, as well as how it helps parents “let go.” Over the course of nearly 15 years, she and Camptown took her students on countless outdoor adventures throughout Central Indiana, including hikes, canoe rides, and overnight trips. Julie retired from teaching in 2021, after the birth of her first grandchild.
Julie and John Noel today at Denali National Park and Preserve in south central Alaska
Today, the Noels split their time between Indiana and Alaska. When she’s a Hoosier, she volunteers with the Heartland Film Festival and Grassroot Projects, and maintains a strong connection with the Midtown community. In Alaska, she works as a Road Scholar guide in Denali, leading educational trips for adults over the age of 55. John is still a geologist and dreams of biking cross-country to Alaska upon retirement. The couple have three children and three grandchildren — all of which embody their love for outdoor education and community involvement in their own special ways.
Since her retirement, Julie and John continue to support Camptown as CORE donors, as well as by attending our annual events. At this year’s Glamp-Out, they participated in our live auction and won an exclusive tour of the Indianapolis Airport’s police unit.
We are so thankful for CORE donors like Julie and John. To learn more about how you can support Camptown’s mission, visit https://camptown.org/give/planned-giving/.