It takes a village of volunteers, donors, and special friends of camp to keep our facility going. During this unique time, we have appreciated all the support that our camp has received to help us overcome the financial hardship that summer without campers has caused. 

With your support, we have been able to keep our staff working at camp, give a facelift to the Putt-Putt course, make improvements to the cabins, maintain the trails, and so much more. These projects will contribute to providing a better youth development experience at our facility and help us continue serving the surrounding communities. 

While this time has created challenges for us, we have been able to tackle the projects that would have needed to wait until our normal camping season was over. We are making lemonade out of lemons during the quietest summer on record. We look forward to welcoming campers back with open arms and to seeing the updates to our facility. 

We hope to see you very soon and please let us know if we can help you host your next event of any size at Canter's Cave 4-H Camp. 

Sarah Lawrence 

Canter's Cave 4-H Camp, Camp Manager canterscave4hcamp@gmail.com 

On behalf of Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp and the thousands of young lives that have been transformed by camp, we wish to thank you for your support of our Buckeye Funder Campaign!

This special campaign allowed us to generate more than $6,500 to help continue to keep our camp viable and continue our mission for future generations of campers. While our public campaign to raise funds has come to an end, please know that the need is still real. The Buckeye Funder platform will continue to be available for donations through the end of August if you or someone you know feels compelled to pay it forward to future generations of campers.

The Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp staff, board members, and educators are very thankful for your support and contributions. With the funds, the camp will be able to open its doors in 2021 and hopefully even complete a cabin repair that will benefit the next generation of campers.

Canter’s Cave holds a special place in many of our hearts and we will be forever grateful for your help to keep it going.

We have just three days left in our main campaign and are at 42% of our goal! Thank you for everyone who has donated so far. We appreciate your help also in reaching out to other alumni and supporters of camp to help us reach our goal.

Every person who attends camp has a different experience. One of the great things about camp is just that! There is a place for every person and opportunities to explore your interests and try something new. When current camp counselors and alumni were asked what camp means to them and what they love about camp each shared specific memories.

For some, it was just the memories in general of friends, laughter, and outlandish songs and skits. Others shared about the skills they built, even building a campfire! Other life-skills like self-confidence, public speaking, teamwork, and dedication.

But the most common theme was that camp was about family. The campers, counselors, and staff build bonds that last well beyond the few days a summer at Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp. Many of the camps at Canter’s Cave are multi-county, which leads to summer road trips to other fairs, dates to proms, and requests for additional events at camp so they can see each other. It also helps the participants build a wider network of friends outside of their schools and counties, which can lead to having a network of friends at college when young people take that next step.

When you support Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp, you are helping to provide the opportunities for young people to build their skills, try new things, step out of their comfort zone and build a positive network of people in their lives. Each one of their camp stories are unique, but each is important. Thank you for helping us continue to create these positive experiences so the next generation can say because of camp…

The Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp Buckeye Funder campaign has successfully raised 40% of our goal and rising! This is because of fantastic donors like you! This campaign has highlighted some of our counselors and alumni highlighting why they love camp, and also about one of our specialty camps.

Camp traditions are a big part of every 4-H camp. Campfire is one that probably transcends every camp across the world and has for generations. Gathering around a fire to share stories or triumphs and life lessons and close out the evening together goes beyond camp and began long before camps existed and were an important part of many cultures to tell their oral history.

Today, campfire is just as important as ever. Our campers come together to hear stories, sing songs, and participate as a group in the timeless tradition. It is a closing of the evening and a way to relax and reflect on the day, but a lot of laughter happens before that point, often in the form of skits.  Maybe the skit is brand-new and fits the theme or is one that has been passed down year-after-year, evolving over time. Who does not love the creativity and belly laughs that come from a campfire skit? Not only laughter comes from those skits, they also help build creativity, confidence, and more in the participants.

Think about your own time at camp. What was your favorite campfire skit or activity? Take a moment to share one of your favorite skits or memories in general with someone else or share it on social media along with the link to donate. Encourage your friends to share their favorite laugh out loud memories and to contribute to our campaign. For an extra challenge or those feeling creative, gather your family and record a video to post of a favorite skit.

Investing in camp today will help future generations of 4-H campers to be able to have similar memories and laughs as they get to participate in the timeless tradition of campfire and those hilarious campfire skits.

For the past 14 years, Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp has taken a weekend during the summer to transform itself into a home away from home for some very special people. Ohio 4-H Special Needs Camp was started as a way to allow those young people with unique needs that cannot be accommodated during one of our typical Camps a chance to experience what we all love – instant and lasting community, the opportunity to try new things in a supportive environment, and the chance to sing some silly songs, among other things.

During the Camp, youth do all the normal Camp activities - environmental science, crafts, music, outdoor education, water safety, and campfire - all while developing decision-making skills and self-reliability. Some activities take more thought, and support, to make them accessible for our Campers, but we have an amazing group that can pull off great things. When one of our Campers asked about canoeing, for example, we had to get creative. We now have motorized paddleboats for campers who do not have the ability to help propel a typical paddleboat. More than half of the Campers had never been on a boat, and as one Camper stated, “Boating helps you be calm and learn to take charge as the captain of your boat.  You have to learn to be a good leader as a captain and I want to be that one day!” We have also figured out a way to tie-dye with our campers, including using bubbles for those who may not be able to roll a shirt or use traditional methods.

The camp has an enormous impact on campers and their families. As one mother stated, “Gregory has two-and-a-half days of no medical appointments, no physical therapy, and a schedule that is entirely about him and his fellow campers. Our special kids are treated as normally as possible and that’s all we want as parents of a special needs child.”

When asked about a favorite memory from Camp, many caregivers took care to mention the relationships formed during this short time period. "All the smiles on the kid's faces & the great helpers making it special for them," "Being with the campers and seeing them grow through the years," and this statement from a Camper, "Seeing all of my friends, staff, caregivers & parents."

As the Educator in charge of this Camp, making sure the Staff is trained and prepared for this group is a top priority, and seeing my Staff and Volunteers interacting, helping, and growing is honestly one of my favorite parts. We have had several Camp Staff Members and Counselors go on to work with special needs youth as career choices following this Camp over the years. One of my Staff Members looked at me during a recent Camp and stated, "I never thought anything bad about people with special needs, but I never knew they were so fun! This has changed the way I think about people who are different than I am."

While we may not be together in person as we would like this year, we are planning to make Camp even more accessible for future events. Your support helps us be prepared to welcome some of our most amazing Camp Families back!

Thank you for your support,

Michelle Stumbo

Ohio 4-H Special Needs Camp Director

Extension Educator and Area Leader

OSU Extension, Meigs County

Take a moment and think back to your time at Canter's Cave 4-H Camp. For many of us, those memories are vivid with the sounds and smells of 4-H camp. From camp songs to campfire skits, and friendships made. Because of camp those summer days and nights helped us to grow and become who we are today. One such story is that of Fred and Mary Deel. Watch the video to hear their because of camp story that began in 1968. The Deel Family is just one of countless because of camp stories. We want to be sure those opportunities are there for kids next year and many years to come. 

We all have acknowledged our own sadness as a result of camps being canceled this summer, but our 4-H’ers have proven to be resilient and encouraging considering this decision. Protecting our 4-H family of youth, volunteers, and staff is our absolute number one priority and we know that this was the right decision to keep everyone safe during these challenging times.

As a result of these camp closures, the loss of income is hitting Canter's Cave 4-H Camp hard. To keep camp fees down, our camp runs on a very tight budget with little room to withstand substantial losses such as they are experiencing this year. Collectively across the state, Ohio 4-H camps will lose roughly $1.1 million dollars in revenue.

Please stand with us in support of Ohio 4-H camps, and specifically Canter's Cave 4-H Camp which is near and dear to our hearts. We are anxious to welcome everyone back next year but help is needed to sustain our camp which will be without income until next camping season. Please give today and invest in camp to help grow true leaders for tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone for your support of camp!