A promise fulfilled

Our first Reading Camp in Northern Kentucky has ended. The children have returned to their homes, the reading center looks like a choir room again devoid of its colorful decorations, and the materials have been packed up and put back on the trailer, or directly in Mary Eclov’s car to be returned to Lexington. Years ago, I promised a dear friend who’d attended Reading Camp with me at the Cathedral Domain that we’d find a way to do this in Northern Kentucky. He’s now gone, but the promise remained to finally be fulfilled. While I slept better last night then I have in weeks, I awakened missing the children. Thoughts like “if we were still at camp the kids would be doing their journals” or “I’d be finishing my second rotation about now” keep running through my mind. That’s how I know that I miss the kids, the activity, the excitement of Reading Camp.

What a week we had! The campers bounced in each day with big smiles, ready for whatever challenges were put before them. They worked happily in centers, trying everything the teachers offered with great enthusiasm. Needless to say, the teachers (who are my personal heroes because they were incredible) responded with carefully planned advances to increasingly more difficult work. The reading center atmosphere was charged with a sense of empowerment. Because of the support and care shown each camper, they wanted to take risks and do more. WOW! It was evident that they were basking in their new-found confidence every time a station rotation was called because they collectively groaned that they had to leave the work they were doing and move on. They’d get to the next station, become involved with the work there, and groan all over again when asked to rotate. What a testament to the perseverance of these kids, and the kind of teaching happening in the reading centers. We promised we’d help these kids grow as readers, and they took full advantage!

I pray that the promise we made with our first year’s group of campers is fulfilled when they return to school. Thanks to the generous donations of many in our local church community, each camper left with a Reading Camp bag filled with at least a dozen or more books. They’ve reported to us that they have been reading at home at night during camp. Will they continue to do this now that camp is over with the new books they’ve been given? Will they maintain that heady confidence we saw in them as they left yesterday with hugs, thanks and their bags full of new books? Almost every camper, and some of their parents, asked if we could continue to have Reading Camp a second week! I did make another promise. I promised that we’d have Reading Camp again next year in Northern Kentucky. It was such a great week with wonderful campers, teachers, counselors, volunteers and committee members making it all happen. I’m so thankful for each and every one of them. I hope they’ll help me fulfill the promise of a Reading Camp return to Northern Kentucky in the summer of 2009. Reading really does rock!

- Ringmaster Lucie Collier is a volunteer camp director from St. Andrew's, Ft. Thomas with the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp