Northern Kentucky Reading Camp Day 4 & 5 report
July 19, 2008
Well, here we are: a year and a half of planning and with a blink of an eye we are on the other side of a successful camp. Our 14 campers worked hard and played harder to bring learning and tales of success to Northern Kentucky for the first ever Reading Camp.
Thursday the kids went to a place called Potter’s Ranch where they had the opportunity to wall climb, ride a pony, and zip line! The wall was a 40 foot tall rock climb and in my group of 6, 5 made it to the top. Alec was the first to climb and three times he wanted to quit but was inspired by his peers to continue. “Let’s go Alec, let’s go!” And when he rang the bell on the top of the wall, he set the tone for the day. You can do anything you put your mind to with hard work and support of friends!
The zip-line provided more opportunities for challenging your fears. Like with Casey. She got to the top of the line was all harnessed in and “had to go to the bathroom.” Again, the others gave her a pep talk and encouraged her to try again and she did it…and it was impossible to wipe the smile off her face for the rest of the day. The day was blazing hot but the kids’ sprits never dulled as they faced their fears, challenged themselves mentally and physically, and cheered each other on in what was certainly a fan favorite afternoon!
Friday was bittersweet. Every kid asked someone if they could come back next week. While we enjoyed the sentiment, the adults all agreed that we would have to nap first. The kids were sad to go but had made some wonderful friends (bff!) and made noticeable progress in their reading skill and confidence levels. Friday culminated with a celebration for the kids where we invited parents of the kids and friends of the camp to join us and celebrate the kid’s success! And 13 kids had at least one parent at the celebration taking pictures and crying for their children’s successes.
It was wonderful to meet the parents and to hear stories about how excited the kids were about camp. Several, if not all, asked about the possibility of their kid coming back next year. And remember Cheyenne? The quietest girl in Northern Kentucky? Her mom told me a story that on Thursday night she woke up in the middle of the night got dressed and went back to bed because she was afraid of missing the bus in the morning. It was a special afternoon.
And can I tell you about the swag these kids left with! With the generosity of each church and friends of Northern Kentucky Reading Camp (like Kenton County Public Library) each child left with 9 books in their bag…and that doesn’t include the 2 Reading Camp gives them! HOLY COW! And you should have seen the excitement on their faces when they got to pull out each book and admire the adventures on which they were about to embark.
So that’s it from me, I guess. We’ll see you next year!
- Ringmaster Hillie Gaither is a volunteer camp director from Trinity, Covington with the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp
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