FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Tim Lucas
720.981.2532 x 101
tim.lucas@cheleyfoundation.org
(Thursday, July 22, 2021) Denver, CO – As the whole country begins to move steadily toward resuming pre-pandemic activities, no community is more gratified and eager than the families of kids who attend summer camp. Most camps were closed for the summer of 2020, so there was great anticipation building for this summer, and nowhere are the enthusiasm and excitement growing stronger than among the campers of A Thousand Summers, a youth development program based in Denver.
“I’m extra excited to get back to camp because I really missed going last year,” said Ella, from Colorado Springs, CO, who attends Colvig Silver Camps, located in the Red Creek Valley of the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. “I really missed seeing all of my friends and being out in nature with them. I miss being in the cabin, being in the lake, and doing all of the activities. I am excited to make up for the backpacking trips that we missed last year.”
A Thousand Summers (ATS) utilizes its affiliation with eight wilderness-based summer camps across the country to provide the underserved youth it funds with the access and opportunity to learn about leadership, independence and perseverance, all while enjoying the camaraderie and adventure of sleep away camp. In its 31st year of operation, A Thousand Summers (formerly known as the John Austin Cheley Foundation) provides access to camps that the kids it serves would not otherwise have. Its campers come from all over the country, and in its history the organization has awarded over $7 million worth of camperships.
“We have always believed in the power of camp, the importance of getting kids together in the outdoors, to learn new skills, make new friends, to have the opportunity to challenge themselves and try things outside their comfort zones,” said Tim Lucas, executive director of ATS. “This past year of mandatory isolation, of staying inside, has been particularly hard on the kids and families we serve. We are more than ready to pivot back to more normal times, especially for their sake.”
All eight of the camps affiliated with ATS plan to receive campers this summer, albeit with some new protocols and restrictions. ATS has committed to funding all of the campers who expected to attend camp in 2020, almost 100 in all.
“This summer will be an extraordinary summer at Colvig Silver Camps. A summer of fun, freedom, and friendship. A summer where the community and connection at camp, normally so critical to achieving our summer and life goals, will be that much more critical to the physical, social, and emotional needs of our campers and staff after the isolation and general inactivity of the last 16 months.” – Clay Colvig, Owner, Colvig Silver Camps
The ATS affiliated camps are Cheley Colorado Camps, Colvig Silver Camps and Sanborn Western Camps in Colorado; Clearwater Camp for Girls in Wisconsin; Camp Kawanhee for Boys in Maine, Kooch-i-ching, Ogichi Daa Kwe and Camp Thunderbird in Minnesota. Campers are referred to ATS through a network of youth mentoring organizations.
For more information, contact Tim Lucas, 720.981.2532 x 101.
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