In just one week, campers at the YMCA's Triangle Y Ranch, north of Tucson, say they form lasting friendships, try new activities and build confidence.
The camp, about an hour north of Tucson in Oracle, occupies 400 acres at the base of the Catalina Mountains and is a place where campers can swim, go on horseback rides, ride a zip line, make crafts or test their archery skills.
For some, it's a break from work, chores or staying home with "lazy dad," as one camper put it.
For a majority of campers, the weeklong retreat wouldn't be possible without help from organizations, including the Arizona Daily Star's Sportsmen's Fund, that provide scholarships for kids whose families couldn't otherwise afford it, said Keith Crawley, executive director of the camp.
The weekly cost to attend the camp is $400, and about six out of 10 campers receive financial assistance, Crawley said.
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The camp allows kids with adult responsibilities to be kids again and encourages kids who would otherwise stay at home all summer to get out and be active, Crawley said.
One 12-year-old girl who attended camp for the first time last summer on a scholarship was responsible for caring for her mom, who is in a wheelchair, and her four younger siblings.
"She did all the laundry. She did all the cooking. She did all the cleaning - everything," Crawley said. "She said to me, 'Mr. Keith I'm so glad that I came because it was nice to have a vacation.' "
Roland Kuhlman, 15, has attended the camp for five years and said it's been a transforming experience. "When I first came here, I was nervous, and I was scared of heights," Kuhlman said. "But when I first did a zip line, I wasn't anymore."
He participates in the Raggers program, a character-building program in which kids identify goals to work toward.
"I'm an outcast at school ... but I'm starting to work on that. I'm starting to not be an outcast anymore. That's how Raggers has changed me," Kuhlman said. "People don't really get to know me. They just judge me at first ... now they're really getting to know me and starting to like me."
Kuhlman's goals this summer include: stop complaining, make more friends and stop fighting at school.
He said one of the best parts of camp is reconnecting with returning campers each summer and friends from group homes with whom he's lost touch.
Veteran camper Kamille Barfield called the camp her second home and the highlight of her year.
The 17-year-old senior at Tucson High Magnet School has attended the camp for 10 years and said it beats staying home.
"I spend a lot of time at home not doing much, so it's nice to come out here and be adventurous," she said. "I just love the environment and the positive energy."
Samantha Smith, 17, who's been going to camp for nine years, said coming to camp is what she looks forward to each year.
"I've learned that it's good to go outside my comfort zone, like doing the skits or standing up and doing songs," Smith said. "I've grown a lot here. I feel like I come to camp one person and leave another."
Both Barfield and Smith are participating in the camp's counselors-in-training program with the hope of becoming paid staffers next summer.
The various activities offered at the camp are meant to build self-confidence, self-esteem and positive relationship skills among the campers, Crawley said.
That's "so that when they go back into their community, they feel confident because they've tried something new," Crawley said. "They've never seen a horse before in their life, and there's a big animal, and next thing you know, they're on the trail and riding it, and they're successful.
"Emphasizing success is what we're all about."
Send a kid to camp
The Arizona Daily Star's Sportsmen's Fund Send a Kid to Camp program raises money so children from low-income households and military families can attend overnight YMCA, Boy Scout and Girl Scout and Camp Courage burn camps.
Our goal is to raise $170,000 to send 770 kids to weeklong overnight camps this summer. So far we have received 1,210 donations totaling $113,770 with the summer camp season now underway. We are shy about $56,000.
Your contribution is tax-deductible, qualifying for the state's working-poor charitable tax credit of up to $400, and is welcome throughout the year.
The Sportsmen's Fund, one of the oldest 501(c)(3) charities in Southern Arizona, was founded in 1947.
Since then, thanks to Arizona Daily Star readers, we have helped to pay for 35,869 children to go to camp.
Contact reporter Veronica Cruz at vcruz@azstarnet.com or at 573-4224.
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