Children of all ages scurry around the campus of Virginia Wesleyan College.
By Megan Zirkle '06
Photos courtesy of the YMCA South
Hampton Roads.
They eat on picnic tables behind the Fine Arts Building, fish from the pier at Lake Taylor and even have their own tree house tucked away in the woods like Spanky, Buckwheat, Darla and Alfalfa from The Little Rascals.
These rascals, however, are from the YMCA Camp Red Feather – a summer day camp that utilizes some 50 acres of Virginia Wesleyan's open and natural campus for 10 weeks during the summer.
The partnership between the two organizations has been evolving for years. In the summer of 2005, Camp Red Feather came to Virginia Wesleyan with 90 kids. Now, the campus serves more than 200 children ranging from ages 5 – 15.
The advantage of holding the camp at Virginia Wesleyan is simple, said Jamie Childress, senior director of youth and family programs at the Norfolk family YMCA. "The facilities are great, the people are great and they celebrate us when we’re here," he said. "And we love it."
The kids come mostly from Virginia Beach and Norfolk, said Childress. As he drives around Bray Village (Village I) on a golf cart, they all know him by first name. Hi Mr. Jamie, Hi Mr. Jamie, they repeat and wave.
For Childress, the camp serves a big need in the Hampton Roads Community. "It gives inner-city kids the opportunity to go to camp outside in a rural setting and do things they normally wouldn't do," he said.
And the green environment is just one aspect that makes this summer camp unique.
A carved path in the woods constructed by the YMCA leads kids to Lake Taylor on the edge of campus. The path was created to avoid the trucks and construction being done on Village IV, said Childress.
At the end of that path, an archery station is set up on the left. Take a right turn and the path ends at two fishing piers, about 60 feet long, both built on Wesleyan's property by the YMCA. The organization ripped down the old pier and rebuilt a new one with benches and railings, said Childress. In addition, they also built a boating pier used for canoeing and kayaking.
The ropes course and pool in the Jane P. Batten Student Center are also popular sites and used on a regular basis by the kids. But their favorite spot is the newly constructed "Nature Tree House," built by the YMCA. This tree house is every child's fantasy equipped with a spiral slide, bubble windows, deck with picnic tables and railing made from sticks. It even has a gold fish pond, also courtesy of the YMCA.
"We couldn't get an old tire up from the ground," said Childress. "So we dug out the dirt and made a fish pond."
And the camp wouldn't be complete without a music and drama station, positioned under the trees at Rose Lawn, and an arts & crafts area nestled in the corner across from Village IV. At the end of the session, an optional camp out is offered for kids to pop a tent and stay overnight at the College.
Childress said that Camp Red Feather is just one way the YMCA and Virginia Wesleyan show their partnership in the community. Several VWC alumni are now working for the YMCA, he said including Lauren Rector '07 and Matt Lewis '07, who is the team building specialist for Camp Red Feather.
In addition, several Virginia Wesleyan community members serve on the YMCA board including: Virginia Wesleyan Board members Jane P. Batten H'06 and Chuck Harris, YMCA President and CEO of South Hampton Roads; and Batten Professor and Coordinator of Recreation and Leisure Studies Dr. Doug Kennedy.
For more information about the YMCA Camp Red Feather contact the Norfolk Family YMCA at 757.622.9622.
07/25/07