You’ve probably heard this phrase before. We used it during our annual fundraiser, “Our Great Days of Giving,” and it has always stuck with me. For me, it isn’t just a tagline. It perfectly describes what Becket-Chimney Corners has become in my life.
In the spring of 2006, my mom told me I’d be going to a new camp for a whole month. At twelve, that felt overwhelming. I was excited and nervous at the same time. I had been to camp before, but I had no idea how different this summer would be.
I researched everything I could find about Chimney before opening day, but nothing could prepare me for what I walked into. The food was amazing, the people were warm, and the activities felt endless. I was shy at first, unsure of myself in this new place, but each day chipped away at that fear. Slowly, I learned the rhythms of camp, started saying yes more often, and eventually became the social butterfly I never expected to be.
That first summer still holds some of my favorite memories. Performing my first Wiff ’n’ Poof. Learning how to dive. Jumping when the aides announced their names. Losing and finding my Baby G watch. Showing my mom around during Mom’s Weekend. Meeting people who would shape my life in ways I couldn’t imagine then.
Almost twenty years later, I understand what “a community for life” really means. Without camp, I might never have learned about the Peace Corps. I wouldn’t have had a friend standing beside me on my wedding day. I might not have found the courage to stop wearing my wig as my hair grew back. I wouldn’t be someone who regularly steps outside her comfort zone.
Camp becomes a community for life because it gives you people who show up for your biggest moments. It teaches belonging, confidence, and courage. It connects you to something bigger than yourself. Even years later, the lessons and relationships stay with you.
If you have ever spent a summer at Camp Becket or Chimney Corners, you know exactly what that feeling is like. It never really leaves you.
