Charlotte Observer Summer Camp Fund helps kids and provides lasting memories

It’s not every day that an 11-year-old wakes up in a canvas tent, milks a cow and goes on a parade to visit pigs. But that’s a typical day at Camp Celo, according to camp director Drew Perrin.

Each year, the Charlotte Observer’s Summer Camp Fund pays full tuition for local kids to attend summer camps. This summer, six of those kids will attend Camp Celo in Burnsville, about 120 miles northwest of Charlotte.

“They would never be able to have this experience without the Charlotte Observer partnership,” Perrin said. “They enrich our program so much.”

Last year, Observer readers and the community helped send more than 500 kids to 33 camps in the region, including Camp Celo. And money that was raised last year, which ended up being nearly $180,000, will be used to send people to camps this summer.

This is the 11th year for the annual campaign, which is now under way.

Money that is raised this year goes to sending kids to camp next year. Since 2009, the fund has raised over $1.5 million and sent more than 3,000 children to a variety of day and sleep-away camps.

More confidence

Perrin said the Summer Camp Fund helps Camp Celo recruit diverse campers. He’s always excited to see the campers feel more confident and comfortable as the days go on. He said that the kids seem to fit a whole year of growth into just three weeks. By the end, they’re enthusiastic to go outdoors or even sweep the floor, according to Perrin.

“They start to glow with this free energy, and they feel they speak with more confidence. They’re more relaxed, more comfortable and more capable,” Perrin said.

One of Perrin’s favorite parts of camp is watching the campers, ages 7 to 12, go outside with barefoot — that’s a Camp Celo staple. They hike to “beautiful creeks and waterfalls and mountain top meadows,” write songs, and get covered in mud.

To donate to the paper’s fund, people may make checks out to “Observer Charities - Summer Camp Fund” and mail them to: