Thanks to you, many of our camps were able to reach their initial fundraising goal! The funds raised through the Greatest Needs for 4-H Camps project will be split among the 9 camps that participated in the 4-H Camp Needs You Now campaign. All of the funds raised so far will help our 4-H camps maintain their facilities this year. Even though we feel this campaign was an amazing success, our camps still have significant financial needs as they deal with the lost income of not being able to hold camp this summer. The Buckeye Funder platform will stay open for donations for the rest of the summer if you or someone you know would like to contribute. We greatly appreciate all the support shown towards Ohio 4-H Camps. Thank you for your dedication to help camp be there for future generations of 4-H members. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported Ohio 4-H Camp! There is less than one week left in our campaign; help us to reach our goal by donating today! Your gift will help ensure our 4-H camps are able to withstand the financial burden of not having 4-H camp this summer. Think back on your time at camp, some of your favorite memories from your childhood are of 4-H camp. Your contributions will help ensure future generations are able to continue making 4-H camp memories.

Camp Whitewood is the home to Lake, Columbiana, Stark, Geauga, Trumbull, Ashtabula, Portage, and Mahoning County 4-H summer camping programs. There’s not a person or camper who attends Camp Whitewood without hearing a different version of the Footprint Rock story. Whether it is a story about an Indian Princess running to find her one true love or trying to escape her family, the story remains one of the greatest traditions Camp Whitewood has to offer. Although the footprints were stolen in the 1950s, they were returned shortly after and can now be found in the Grindstone Creek Lodge. For some individuals, Footprint Rock is home to some of their dearest memories.

Camp Whitewood is where Portage County 4-H alumna, Sarah Kline made some of her best friends and memories she could have ever asked for. When she was 8 years old, Sarah went to camp for the first time and met a boy who, over the years, through late-night talks, shared a passion for everything camp and grew to become a great friend. When they became juniors in high school, Sarah took a chance at a counselor training meeting and asked Jarrett to be her prom date which started a beautiful relationship. They returned to camp many times but 5 years later when they returned as adult staff, following in the path of another great love story originating in that exact spot, he proposed on Footprint Rock. Some of the friends Sarah and Jarrett met through Camp Whitewood were even lined up to be bridesmaids and groomsmen. Camp Whitewood is their forever home that has blessed both with opportunities for growth and love from a family spanning multiple counties.

Sarah and Jarrett aren’t the only love story to originate from Camp Whitewood. Cheryl Hagerty shared that “4-H Camp Whitewood is a place where memories are made!” Being a camper generated the memories of crafts, nature hikes, line dancing, campfire skits, mail call, singing after meals, and being with friends. Being on the camp staff provided the memories of teaching line dances, playing parachute games, instructing archery, working in the camp store, eating Lena and Saville's delicious food, and working with a lot of awesome people. Cheryl said “being married at the campfire circle in May 1975, allowed my husband and I to start our life together in a location that allowed us to enjoy the natural beauty of the world, celebrate with friends who also had experienced camp, square dance in the rec hall, and have a very special place to remember.”

We thank Cheryl and her husband Lloyd for their support and donation to Camp Whitewood in honor of their 45th wedding anniversary. Would you consider making a donation to support 4-H camp in honor of your favorite camp memory?

We’re making progress towards our goal! We truly appreciate everyone’s support of Ohio 4-H Camps! Share this campaign with other 4-H families, alumni, and supporters so they can share their love of camp and invest in the immediate future of these camps. This week, Camp Clifton alumni Cindy and Kate White share some of the camp memories they hold close to their hearts.

Cindy was a camper and counselor at Camp Clifton in Yellow Springs, Ohio during the ’70s. “Camp will be a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience,” Cindy said. “Even though it seems simple, it is such a wonderful time at camp – the spirit, excitement, there’s no place like 4-H camp.” It’s no wonder her daughter, Kate, also camped at Camp Clifton when she became old enough.

Cindy said there was a lot of anticipation surrounding camp. As a camper, she was excited to learn the camp theme, be assigned to a cabin, and learn what tribe group she’d be in for the week. When she became a counselor, she looked forward to many activities including decorating the cabin and leading workshop classes. Cindy reflected on how camp has changed since her time at Camp Clifton. During her time at camp, the outhouse-style restrooms were up on the hill. The toilets were on the left, the showers on the right, and there was a trough in the middle where you could brush your teeth or wash up. “The water was frigid!” she remarked and that it was something you anticipated returning to camp each year.

Kate also enjoyed the different workshops held at 4-H camp. As a counselor, they were required to help with one workshop each full day of camp. These workshops covered a variety of topics such as bottle rockets, campfire cooking, and various craft projects. She said that as a camper she looked forward to her workshops and was excited to learn something new or take home whatever she made that week.

Cindy and Kate both shared how they enjoyed the silly skits counselors would do during campfire. When Kate was a counselor in 2017, the theme was “Camp Clifton’s Got Talent.” For campfire one night of camp, each tribe did various talent acts. Kate’s group put on an optical illusion skit that took a lot of practice. Another counselor performed the YMCA dance with some help from mannequin backup dancers. However, in the middle of the dance, the mannequins started falling apart! Kate said that all of the campers were laughing, along with the other counselors. She went on to say that it is such a funny memory that it’s just one of those things you remember for a long time.

Do you have a favorite camp skit memory? Take a moment this week to tell someone else about a camp skit you enjoyed as a camper our counselor or share that memory on social media along with the link to donate. “Camp is a one in a million experience. Once the opportunity is gone you can’t get it back. I would encourage everyone to go to camp at least once,” said Kate. Your contributions will help allow for youth across Ohio to have the opportunity to experience camp.

We greatly appreciate everyone’s support of Ohio 4-H Camps! This campaign is an opportunity for 4-H members, their families, alumni, and supporters to share their love of camp experiences and invest in the immediate future of these camps. This week, Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp alumna Emily Niemann shares memories and her favorite traditions from camp.

She first attended camp at Canter’s Cave in Jackson, Ohio as a 2nd-year 4-H member. “Despite my mom’s encouraging to attend camp during my first year in 4-H, I just wasn’t too sure about it,” said Emily. “The next year, camp counselors visited my classroom to promote 4-H camp. After hearing about all of the exciting camp activities from “cool teenagers,” I decided I was going to camp!” Emily participated as a camper for five summers and spent four years serving as a camp counselor.

Canter’s Cave hosts multi-county camps and Emily enjoyed getting to meet people from nearby counties. Some of her favorite camp memories include hiking to Canter’s Cave, line dancing every night, and the traditional campfire on the first night of camp where campers and counselors share the rules of the council circle (camp fire). Her favorite camp tradition is one from Teen Camp. “On the last evening of camp, all of the campers, counselors, and staff hike to Boones Cave. While at the cave, everyone reflects on our week at camp, then each camper is given a new penny from that year,” she shared. “That penny serves as a special and unique souvenier for each year an individual attends teen camp.”

What are your favorite camp traditions? Take a moment to share with someone else about your favorite traditions or share it on social media along with the link to donate. Encourage your friends to share their favorite camp traditions and to contribute to our campaign. Investing in camp today will help future generations of 4-H campers to participate in what may be your favorite camp tradition.

Thanks to all who have supported the campaign so far! We’re thrilled with the support for Ohio 4-H Camps! This campaign is an opportunity for 4-H members, their families, alumni, and supporters to share their love of camp experiences and invest in the immediate future of these camps.

This year would have been Adrianna Meyer’s fifth visit to 4-H Camp Palmer in Fayette, Ohio and her first as a counselor. Adrianna, 15, hopes to serve as a counselor next year, because camp activities like gaga ball and nine-square have been so enjoyable. Meeting new people through line dancing, canoeing, and fishing have been important to Adriana. “My leadership skills have really evolved. I used to be shy. My people skills, networking skills, and my sense of responsibility have developed,” she said.

A member of Henry County 4-H clubs and programming for eight years, Adrianna also enjoyed the team-building programs at Carving New Ideas workshop, the Making Extreme Counselors camp, and the fairs where her family shows goats. Henry County is planning a virtual camp next month to honor senior high school students who would ordinarily be recognized, and to offer crafts and programs to members, she said.

Most important to Adrianna is that other Ohio youth get the same opportunities she has experienced by attending a weeklong summer 4-H camp. “Every day of that week is important.”

Take a moment this week to reflect on your favorite 4-H camp song. Now, tell someone else about your favorite camp song or maybe sing it together through a video call. Share it on social media and help us ensure the next generation is able to come to camp and learn camp songs!