As we began returning to work and running programs in June, like everyone, I had to ask, “What does this look like for Camptown?” Many of our program partners had cancelled their summer plans and others had reduced their numbers and implement-ed stay in place policies. In other words, no field trips. We did have a few groups that managed to return to a somewhat normal summer. Safety of our youth participants, adult chaperones, and staff has always been paramount. We rolled out our 4 S’s of Covid prevention (Screening, Small Groups, Social Distancing, and Sanitation). This helped us to communicate not only the precautions we were taking, but also the expectation we had of our program partners. As we began our planning to return to programming, I thought it would be very easy to get off mission just to keep busy. Instead, we have focused on our mission and how can we still deliver impact during these times. We already work outdoors with small groups. During the summer, we do typically have some large group programs, but these we even break into smaller groups. With this eye on mission, we talked with our pro-gram partners to see how we might help. Based upon their feedback we started offering more transportation services, took our programs to them, and focused on our small group programs. This has been challenging at times. Typically, we will run 15 days of our Natural Wonders Day Camps each summer; each day is essentially the same activities and we get pretty good at setting up and tearing down. This year we have held 13 Natural Wonders Day Camps at various community centers and Boys & Girls Clubs around the city. With each having different facility assets, every day was different and required custom programming. We also held four Roving Workshops for families at Ft. Harrison State Park and McCloud Nature Park. These were so popular that we are repeating them this month.

Fall is looking like it is going to be even more challenging. Almost all of our fall and winter programming is done with schools. We have already heard from one district that is moving forward with e-learning the first semester and another that is not allowing any non-essential personnel into the school as well as eliminating field trips. We are still waiting to hear what others are doing with their after-school programs and field trips.

We appreciate your continued support and especially prayers as we all transition through these changing times. Please continue to pray for our staff health and that God will guide and use us to His glory.

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In the US, 2019 was a good year economically speaking. The Dow showed a positive return of 22.2% (CNN Money) and unemployment was the lowest since 1969 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). It was also the first year we all filed under the new tax laws signed in 2017. When the new law was announced, not-for-profits began to squirm as we
expected a decrease in the amount contributed to charities in 2018 as an estimated 88% of tax payers would take the new higher standard
deduction. But, the generosity of the American people came through and overall giving in the US
increased from $410.02 billion in 2017 to $427.71 billion in 2018 (Giving USA Foundation). With the focus on the changes in the tax law, it was also a good time to look at our charitable giving and reflect on our reasons for giving, asking ourselves if our investment was resulting in a positive return.
Cynthia and I looked at our giving more carefully this year as well. This is the first year that all three of our children were out on their own. We have had so many generous people support us and the work of Camptown over the years that we wanted to not only continue our giving but increase it. We
wanted to invest in people and organization that would give an eternal return on our investment. We wanted to support organizations that make the most of our contributions and where we can contribute directly to help someone in need. Camptown is such an organization. An investment in the life of a child is an eternal investment that will always result in a positive return. Everyone at Camptown
provides direct service to youth. Contributions to Camptown make a direct impact in the lives of youth. Let one of our students tell you why. “Camptown has helped me to become a better person. It has showed me that just because I am capable of doing something easily does not mean others can. It has showed me that some people lead more quietly by helping others with making sure they don’t fall behind. I’ve also learned that many of the experiences I’ve had, others have not and vice versa. We all have different backgrounds and experiences, but can still work together. I’ve learned that people you don’t talk to might have similar experiences to you. Overall Camptown has helped me to resolve dif-ferences, not discriminate, and how to be a better leader. Overall Camptown is a great program.”
It is always a good idea to look at charitable giving and where your investment can make the most impact. Last year Camptown served 3,519 youth through our day, overnight and weeklong programs. We provided financial assistance to 92% of our partner organizations and 61% of our youth
participants were living in poverty. The average cost of a Camptown program is only $115 per child, less than the cost of one Starbucks latte per week.
I want to thank our contributors, board members, and volunteers for all of their hard work and support this year. It is because of you that we can make a difference in the life of the youth we serve. I want you to know how much we appreciate your financial support. I see every contribution that comes into Camptown and am always grateful for the time, thought, and sacrifice of each gift we receive. I guaran-tee that at Camptown we are very serious about being good stewards of your gift and that we will use it to make the best investment in the lives of youth right here in Central Indiana. We hope that this year you will either continue to make Camptown one of your investments in a better life for someone or you will begin to invest in making a difference.

When backpacking, how you pack your pack is almost as important as what you pack. An off balance pack can become very uncomfortable down the trail. During our pre-trip training classes, we teach the ABC’s of packing your pack: Accessibility, Balance, Compaction.

• You need items accessible. If a sudden rainstorm comes up, you do not want to be digging through the bottom of your pack for your rain gear and pack cover. If you have a medical need, you need to be able to get to your first aid kit quickly.
• Balance is important for comfort and carrying a large load. You want your heavy stuff in the center of your pack and close to your back. The lighter items are placed around the heavier items. This keeps your pack balanced and the weight closer to your body.
• C is compaction. You want to be able to stuff and compact your gear to take up as little space as possible. We also teach to put the big items in first. Your tent and sleeping bag are the primary big items in a pack. It is easier to pack around these larger items than try to fit them in after you have filled your pack with smaller, lighter items. These are also two of the most important items in your pack. They keep you dry and warm and can be lifesaving during certain times of the year.

Planning your time is much the same as packing a backpack. You need to make time for the big things first – God, Family, Friends, School/Job, Community. If you don’t, the little things in life will fill the space of your time. Things like TV, video games, and Facebook can quickly suck up your time leaving you with little to spare for the important things in life. In his book “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, Stephen Covey calls this “Put First Things First”. I think it is becoming more difficult for kids these days to “Put First Things First”. They have such easy access to social media and other screen entertainment that they get caught up in the lure of easy entertainment. I had a student tell me on a canoe trip this summer that if she had not been canoeing she would be watching Netflix all day, which is what she usually did.

While in many ways technology has expanded our world, it has also made it much smaller.

Instead of getting out and spending time with friends and family, kids are drawn more and more to their devices. While they may be connecting via technology, they are doing it from a lonely place. That is what makes programs like Camptown so important. We take kids out of their comfort zone, away from the pressures of life and convenience of withdrawing to their technology and show them a new, exciting part of the world around them. Not only do they get to experience God’s creation, they get useful lessons such as managing their time by learning how to pack their pack. They come away with a new appreciation of the world around them and a new way of looking at how they live their life.

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These stories are from students from one of our backpacking trips this year. As the title implies these are their own words. I hope you enjoy reading of the impact of each of these students’ wilderness experience.

My Camptown experience was pretty great and memorable.  A fourth of the time I was regretful because of the pain, but I kept pushing myself because I know it was going to get better.  It was hard, but I wouldn’t take it back even if I could.  I had a lot of fun and made some of the best memories of my life.

I thought that the first day was hard because we were not used to the bag.  The second day was the hardest because we had to do 10 miles so it was really physically challenging.  Also, I fell a lot.  The last day of hiking it was easy because all we had to do was go up two mountain which was easy.  The rafting was cool too!  Overall It was a great experience.

I had an amazing experience for this being by last year.  I appreciate my guides and not giving up on me.  I had a few challenges, but I had someone behind/front to help me fight through.  This trip guided me to keep fighting because the work and effort you put in will determine your outcome.

At first, I thought this trip was gong to be boring.  My thoughts instantly changed.  We did so many rare things that not many kids at other schools do.  I just think this camping experience helped me better myself as a student and most of all a leader.

 

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These are stories from students from one of our backpacking trips this year.  As the title implies these are their own words.  I hope you enjoy reading of the impact of each of these students’ wilderness experience.

My Camptown was awesome! We saw a small bear and we also saw 2 snakes and it was scary. What I also liked was at night we got to tell how we feel. It was fun. I would love to do it again.

Throughout the experience I did a lot of things that were cool. Camping in the woods, boiling & purifying water, white water rafting, jumped off a rock, etc. One of the things I was worried about was the white water rafting because I am afraid of water and I got stuck under a boat, but after that I had a really good time. I enjoyed the way the guide would tell us the name of places and kept calm during the whole time that we were together. I was very grateful for the food. Overall this experience was great and led me to do a lot other things I was scared to do before and taught me many skills. I am very grateful for this trip.

One good part of my experience was when we got done with hiking the long walks and feeling so accomplished and good about yourself. Another thing is how close I got with the other girls. I talked and got along with girls I never thought I would.

On my Camptown trip it started off rough. We did things I never thought I could or would do. We walked a big hill which is very hard but we got to see horses at the top which I really enjoyed. After we walked another hill, and went to see the arches. I struggled and tripped a lot with a painful ankle, but it was worth it looking at the view on top.

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