We closed our first camp session of the summer on Friday. Camp seemed deserted by late afternoon, and we all took a deep breath. We felt good about the success of the June session, and we were looking forward to seeing our July girls on Sunday.
We talk often about how impactful the camp experience is for our girls; that your days at summer camp serve you for the rest of your life. We also see strong friendships develop over the years at camp, and these friends remain constants in your life. I just wanted to share a few stories of the weekend:
Two of our June campers are heading off to college this fall. One is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and the other is from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. The girls will be rooming together at Clemson University. They spent 4 years together in the same cabin across 2 differents sessions and 7 and 8 years at camp respectively. This isn’t the first time we have had our girls choose to be roommates in college. We do know that other campers make great dorm roommates. The group living at camp translates well to a small dorm room!
Saturday brought back several alumnae. We have one group that makes at least one visit every year. A couple of the girls live in New York City, and some have moved to Asheville because they fell in love with the area after all of their summers at Keystone, and then there is the one who moved to the Czeck Republic to teach. This group represents 72 years at Keystone and originally came to us from Quincy, Florida, Birmingham, Alabama, Charlotte, North Carolina and Durham, North Carolina. Yes, very loyal alums who are willing to travel a long way just to spend a little time back at camp, and we love seeing them each year.
We were also surprised to have another alum drop by while camping in the area with friends. She really wanted them to see where she had spent 12 summers. I really got a kick out of meeting her boyfriend since as soon as he heard my name, he replied, “You’re Page. I feel like I know you. I have heard so much about you.” Her years at Keystone were significant, and she is proud to share Keystone with those most important to her.
On Sunday, just as the afternoon activities were taking off, another alum drove into camp. She had been in Asheville on business and was too close to pass up a chance to come by. She had come to Keystone in 1995 and 1996 from Tallahassee at age 12 and 13. Those 2 summers meant so much to her, she wanted to reconnect, and we are so glad she did.
Summer camp is special, and we think Keystone is more special than most. We really get to know each other here, and we stay in touch. The years at Keystone are transformative and significant. Your time here contributes to who you become, and the friendships you have throughout the rest of your life. To close, we will share a great picture of the Keystone girls at a recent baby shower for another Keystone alum. KEYSTONE GIRLS FOREVER!
