Summer Camp Fund

Jerry Richardson first went to summer camp at age 7 when his parents sacrificed to send him.

Alice Reynolds cried when she got the diagnosis: Her 9-year-old son, Karl, the youngest of four healthy boys, had Type 1 diabetes.

The Charlotte Observer’s Summer Camp Fund is working with nonprofit POST (Partners in Out-of-School Time) to send children from low-income families to day and overnight camps.

Carol Snyder describes her son Ross in one word: relentless.

Ariana Carrothers just came home from more than two weeks sleeping in a big tent at Camp Celo.

Camp Thunderbird's personnel director Kaye Carraway has witnessed the power of summer camp.

John Petrie lives in Fort Mill, a long way from his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Still, he remembers his summer adventures at Camp Storer in Jackson, Mich., which he regularly attended from 1947 to the early 1950s.

Charlotte business owner Jason Crawford read about the Summer Camp Fund in The Charlotte Observer and pulled out his checkbook.

Two Duke University students have had a chance to see the value of summer camp scholarships this summer.

Delaney Anderson, 13, has a hard time participating in activities with other children his age. Due to a chromosomal disorder, he is the size of a 6-year-old and has autism with mental disabilities.

At Camp Celo, campers live close to nature and play an active role in the world around them.

Last year, two 10-year-old boys volunteered consistently at the Carolina Raptor Center in Huntersville.

If you grew up in the Charlotte area, you may have been lucky enough to attend Camp Thunderbird - at least once.

Summer camps offer special memories for kids - and counselors.

Thanks to the generosity of the Summer Camp Fund, five Catawba County kids will return to 4-H camp this summer.

It's hard to forget when you learned to swim: the joy of taking off the floaties and feeling nothing but your arms and legs propel you through the cool water.

Donate online at www.charlotteobserver.com/summercampfund. Or send donations to The Summer Camp Fund, P.O. Box 37269, Charlotte, N.C. 28237-7269

Thirteen-year-old Jaheem Mann of Charlotte went to camp an archery novice, and left a pro.

Thanks to readers’ generosity, 146 children from the Charlotte region enjoyed a summer filled with nature hikes, swimming, rock sliding and s’mores. And many are dreaming of doing it again next summer.

Perched high in treetop cabins, three sisters laugh with new friends during 'turtle time' at Camp Golden Valley.

It's not unusual for campers to have their doubts when they first dip into the chilly creek here at this sprawling camp in the mountains of McDowell County, about two hours northwest of Charlotte.

Donors to The Summer Camp Fund say their own camp memories are among their fondest recollections from childhood.

Summer camp was more than just an activity for Cody Ronan.

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Carol King remembers how, as a child, she would escape city life by traveling to the mountains of Western North Carolina to attend summer camp.

Retired nurse wants others to have the experiences that helped her kids.

Before her daughter Jahrobia Lamont headed to camp for the first time last year, mom Agibiké Nrobia had one specific instruction regarding packing:

He's now 76, but Kenneth Rodgers still remembers the thrill of attending summer camp for the first time as an 8-year-old in his native California.

Carrie Nichols says the excitement starts around the time her 15-year-old son, Bucky, sees the Camp Royall sign, about a mile outside the residential camp.

Partners in Out-of-School Time is on a push to help children learn more about science, technology and their environment year-round, not just when they are in class.

There's an 18th-century backcountry farm set right in Gastonia, where schoolchildren last week petted kid goats named Peanut and Butter, met a pig and sheep, and checked out a vegetable garden tended to in the same way the pioneers would.

This summer will bring new outdoor adventures for children used to the city - walks in the forest, feeding animals at a farm, canoeing in lakes teeming with fish.