I know it’s such a busy time of year for everyone so I only want to borrow a brief moment of your time to talk about something very meaningful to my heart — the role of camp in a young girl’s life.
As a lifelong camper and the child of a camp-running family, I know first hand what camp did for me. It expanded my horizons, built my character, taught me the value of caring for others, and the value of believing in myself and my capabilities.
Camp taught me the patience and persistence to work toward a goal, to face disappointment with grace but to get back on the proverbial horse after a setback. And then it showed me how that grit pays off — when I shot my Distinguished Expert level in Rifle and I could rightfully and joyfully celebrate my accomplishment!
Camp taught me that friendships forged in tight circumstances in short periods of time can turn out to be among the most lasting and most meaningful of a lifetime, and that those connections deliver continuity, depth, and true connection to the wider world.
I have so many stories like that, so many good memories, so many ways I grew as a direct result of camp. And our vibrant alum community as well as parents of current campers tell the same story in their own ways. In short, camp truly makes a difference in a child’s life.
It was obviously easy for me to go to camp — my grandfather owned and ran Camp Alleghany for Girls and then my dad took over so camp was just what we did in the summer. Now that I’m at the helm, my own kids come and, being boys, will be at their own camps each summer. My eldest son Mason has already jumped in.
For many families the expense of camp isn’t a hardship. Or, it’s diligently saved for because of how important those families know camp to be.
But for some girls that’s not the case. For them, going to camp can feel like a pipe dream at best, and way out of reach at worst.
You can help change that.
Double your Impact
Recently Jed Kincaid, our Lantern Scholarship Chair and Vice President of Development on the Camp Alleghany Alumni Association Board, shared a blog post detailing what it takes to successfully manage a scholarship fund for long-term financial viability, the kind of viability that sustains the fund and allows us to keep up a level of scholarships that truly brings camp in reach for families who would otherwise not be able to shoulder the expense.
Jed also shared that through the end of the year the CAAA Board is running a matching fund challenge that guarantees that the board will match up to $3,500 in Lantern Scholarship donations! What a great time to magnify your impact!
During this season of generosity and kindness I hope you’ll consider the wonderful gift of helping make camp possible for another girl. A girl who will explore a new place, try her wings, choose new activities, laugh around the Dining Hall tables, sing around the campfires, splash in the Greenbrier River, hear the crickets whisper in the night, glory in the starshine and moon glow, hunker down in a tent, feel the grass between her toes, grow in new ways, and make lasting and meaningful friendships!
Please donate today.
Warmly,
— Elizabeth Shreckhise, Director, Camp Alleghany for Girls
Elizabeth Shreckhise
Elizabeth is the Director of Camp Alleghany for Girls, the third generation member in her family to hold this position. But she also spent her childhood (ages 7-16) as 'Ghany camper, then held various counselor positions, and spent a decade here as the Assistant Director. She has a Masters in Education and Human Development and is a former School Counselor. Elizabeth lives in Staunton, Virginia during the "off-season" with her husband Matt and sons Mason, Ellis, and Noah. In addition to staffing, enrollment, program planning, outreach, and camp management duties, she helps keep the website current, writes and updates camp literature, and oversees the blog.
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