One Last Adventure on the Way Home

Our last day at camp is always bittersweet. As one camper said to me this morning, "I have mixed feelings. I miss my family and will be glad to see them but I have so many friends here and I have so much fun, I don't want to go. I wish there was a way to have it all." Knowing we can't have it all our campers got up this morning, packed up, cleaned the cabins and headed to breakfast. After bacon egg and cheese English muffins and hash browns everyone headed to the Rec Hall for a fashion show, awards, and the slide show. The fashion show is a compilation of items that are in the lost and found. If it is yours you hope you claim it before Damien puts it on to model it.
Then it was time for each group; Head, Heart, Hands, Health, Earth, Sun, Adventurers, and Trekkers, to take the stage. Each set of counselors gave an award to each camper and L.I.T that fit their specific personality or skills. Awards included the "Mouth of the South", "Yes, I'll Try It", "Super Team Canoeer" and let's not forget, "Super Camper". After the awards it was time for the slide show. It gave us a chance to reflect on all the fun we had during the week and a chance to see ourselves with our friends. Then it was time to dismiss by counties, say thank you to those who took care of us, and load up on the buses to head home.
Usually when Damien dramatically rolls us out of camp we have a quiet ride home. However this year there was one more adventure before we could get there. One of our buses threw a fan belt and had to pull over in Greensboro. After assessing the situation and finding a really big parking lot our drivers and 4-H Agent determined that we should wait for the mechanic to show up. While we took order for lunch, the mechanic showed up in record time and took just a few seconds to replace the fan belt to get us back on the road. Then we went and got our campers drinks and chicken nuggets and fries before pulling out around 2 p.m. After a brief stop in Rockingham to drop off our Richmond County campers we made it home around 4:45 pm. Perhaps a few hours later than we planned but safe and sound which was our goal for the day.
We need to say thank you to many people for our camp adventures. First and foremost to the United Way, who thanks to their financial support of Robeson County 4-H allows us to offer this experience that would cost more than $400 for much less. I also want to thank Indian Education for partnering with us to send more than 20 campers to camp this year, and our other anonymous supporters who graciously donated almost $1,000 in camp scholarships. We must also thank the camp staff for taking excellent care of our youth and to the bus company for their professionalism and goal of getting us to and from safely. Most importantly we want to thank our parents and volunteers for allowing your children to experience this life changing event and help them develop life skills.
With all the stories parents are hearing they have probably heard what I have, "I can't wait to go back again next year!" If your child wants to go back next year please feel free to call us so we can send you that information as soon as we know. Our date is usually assigned in October so you can start planning ahead and maybe even make it a Christmas present. Just a thought as we lay our heads down and rest from all the fun of Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center in 2011.