Category: News & Events

The Fellowship Program: Growth and Giving Back

At A Thousand Summers we are thrilled to be able to provide the gift of summer camp to amazing kids around the country. As our campers return year after year, their friendships deepen, the adventures get more challenging, their love of the outdoors expands, and the personal growth becomes more significant. When our campers age out of camp, some of them can’t wait to return as counselors.

We developed the ATS Fellowship Program three years ago to provide ongoing leadership opportunities for the young people we serve as they move beyond their camper years and seek employment as camp counselors. In 2025, nine of our Campership Program alums were enrolled as Fellows at seven of our thirteen associate camps.

Prior to the start of camp, Fellows participate in some of our Compass Program sessions and Camp Chats with campers and families to answer questions and provide advice based on their own camp experiences. Upon arriving at camp, our campers see a friendly and familiar face—someone they’ve met before on the pre-camp virtual sessions—which helps them feel a little bit more at ease.

“It makes campers more comfortable when right off the bat a counselor says, ‘Oh yeah, I was a scholarship camper too.’ For me, as a camper, it made it less overwhelming to know I wasn’t the only person there. I had a counselor who was a scholarship camper as well. Having been a camper before and understanding some of the struggles can be really helpful.”—Cameron

While at camp, Fellows serve as positive role models for campers and provide a sense of comfort and belonging for our younger ATS campers as they get to know someone like them who has successfully navigated the camp experience and is now on the camp staff. The camp environment is new, and adjustment can sometimes be difficult. It is reassuring to have a counselor who understands those challenges because he or she has experienced them too.

“There’s a certain expectation as a Fellow to be a place of comfort for those who are ATS campers since we’ve personally been in their situation. My job as a counselor is to make the space fun and to be there for my campers.”—Jean

In addition to helping kids learn and grow over the summer, the Fellows also learn a great deal about themselves and their leadership abilities. They gain valuable interpersonal, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that are highly sought after and transferrable to other educational and professional settings. The connections they make and the professional development they receive from ATS and from their camps are invaluable.

“This year I really grew a lot in my confidence in being able to lead a trip. I grew in my outdoor skills and was proud of myself for getting out there and giving it my best shot.”—Paula 

Being a camp counselor is an incredibly rewarding and fun job, but a camp counselor salary is quite low. We are very aware of the financial restraints of our Fellows. Many of them are in their first year or two of college and need a job that pays well over the summer in order to make ends meet.

We want our young alums to be able to pursue their love of the outdoors and their leadership journeys, and so we implemented an additional stipend for each Fellow to make working at camp a more financially viable summer alternative. This stipend recognizes their additional training and their added responsibilities of supporting ATS campers. Fellows have shared with us that without this stipend, they would not be able to work at camp.

“I want more people to be able to experience the outdoors. My plans for the future are to find ways to help the outdoors be more accessible for everyone. The Fellowship stipend has allowed me to come back to camp to pursue what I want to do but still have the money I need.”—Olivia 

Our camp directors also see the value of having Fellows on staff. As Will Coleman, the Director of Big Spring Ranch for Boys at Sanborn Western Camps shared, “The value of having campers return as staff members is the understanding of what we’re trying to do here. They know how it’s supposed to feel. They bring elements of what they remember from their time as campers, and it creates a special culture. The ATS kids who come back on staff know the value of camp and don’t take it for granted.”

Having Fellows on staff also helps our camps as they aspire to increase racial and socioeconomic diversity within their camp communities. The Fellows Program assists our camps in addressing staffing challenges by providing knowledgeable and motivated candidates who know firsthand the power of camp and how it can change lives. With greater staff diversity, our camps are also able to provide greater connection and support for their campers who come from diverse backgrounds—a group they are seeking to expand.

“It’s highly meaningful and incredibly important to have diversity on our staff, whether it’s racial diversity or economic diversity. We have campers on scholarship and campers of color and for them to have someone on staff who looks like them, talks like them, and acts like them gives them someone special to be able to connect and identify with.”—Will Coleman, Director of Big Spring Ranch for Boys at Sanborn Western Camps

The Fellowship Program is growing, and our goal is eventually to have at least one Fellow at every one of our associate camps. As the program continues to expand, a larger number of current ATS campers will have had exposure to a counselor who shares a similar background. Our hope is that those camper-counselor relationships will inspire younger campers to follow a similar path. In doing so, they will be able to give back and make their own imprint on future generations, as our 2025 Fellows did this summer.

“ATS was the only reason I was able to go to camp. The personal impact of camp really made me want to give the kids I was working with this summer the best experience possible and to develop them in ways that I was taught. I was so grateful to be there as a Fellow so that I could give that experience back.”—Owen

Where Are They Now: Roger

At A Thousand Summers we try to capture photos and testimonials about the young people we serve while they are at camp or involved in our other programs. We share their stories of friendship and fun and often some life lessons that camp taught them.

What we don’t often share, however, is the long-term impact of camp on their lives. In this first installment of Where are They Now?, we want to reintroduce you to Roger, an ATS alum who attended Cheley Colorado Camps from 2014-2017.

Recently, at the ATS Countdown to Camp Open House in Dallas, Texas, Roger spoke about how camp has shaped his life. More than anything else, going to camp taught Roger how to step out of his comfort zone and try new things. Whether it was traveling to camp where he knew no one, committing to a month without his phone, or going on a mountain biking trip that he thought was going to be too challenging, Roger persevered.

Fast forward to spring of 2025…Roger is a second-year law student at the SMU Dedman School of Law. He chose to attend a law school where he didn’t know anyone else. In doing so, he had to step out of his comfort zone to find friends and adjust to his new environment. He knew how to do that from his time at camp and, as a result, he was able to find a strong community and great opportunities. He also had the necessary resilience to meet the rigorous academic challenges of law school.

“Embrace things that may be a little awkward or a little new at first.”

We are so grateful to Roger for sharing his story and inspiring our current campers. He has a very bright future ahead of him, and we can’t wait to see what he does next!

Camp: More Than Just Fun & Games

Camp is about fun, friends, and activities, but it also is a fantastic opportunity for social-emotional growth. Many years ago, Frank Cheley, the founder of Cheley Colorado Camps, coined the term FunPlus® to describe the camp experience, representing the fun that defines camp plus all its other benefits. Kids often go to camp and just focus on the fun they’re having, not even realizing how much they are learning and growing—the “plus” sneaks up on them and becomes more evident the longer they go to camp.

At A Thousand Summers we frequently show the “plus” through camper and parent testimonials about how camp has helped build independence, self-confidence, leadership, teamwork, and resilience. We support campers for their “life-span” of camp, meaning that most of the kids we serve attend camp for multiple summers. As a result of that multi-year experience, the personal growth they experience deepens and becomes more meaningful with each year. The “plus” keeps adding up as each summer goes by.

We love hearing about that personal growth, but did you know that going to summer camp also has physical health benefits? The January/February 2025 issue of Camping Magazine published by the American Camp Association presents some excellent information on this topic.

To summarize, the article “Spending Time Outdoors May Help Prevent Nearsightedness” (page 6) discusses the fast-growing world-wide myopia epidemic. Increased screen time and decreased outdoor activity, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have dramatically affected vision. As people are spending more time indoors and under or in front of artificial light, they are not getting the benefits of deep violet light that is found in the UV-A rays of the sun. Exposure to that deep violet light can help prevent myopia.

Experts recommend decreasing screen time and spending more time outside to help prevent nearsightedness from developing, which is especially important in children. Sounds like a prescription for camp!

Another article titled “Exposure to Air Pollution Negatively Affects Children’s Brains” (pages 8-9) details new research that shows a link between exposure to air pollution and developmental changes in the brains of adolescents. The American Lung Association’s 2024 State of the Air report showed that 39% of Americans live in a place with unhealthy air quality. We know that poor air quality can lead to many serious health issues like lung conditions, heart disease, and cancer to name a few. But now studies are showing that kids are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution because their brains and bodies are still growing and developing.

Exposure to air pollution decreases the body’s ability to process information that is collected by connecting the regions that send and receive signals. This weaker connection can negatively impact an adolescent’s ability to problem-solve, focus, and learn.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests using air cleaners to improve indoor air quality and increasing fresh air ventilation by opening doors and windows whenever possible. Spending 4 weeks in the outdoors away from urban areas and the air pollution that surrounds them would definitely help! Again, camp sounds like a great solution!

When kids are at camp for even just 4 weeks in the summer, they get a critical break from screens, technology, and social media as well as the air pollution that many of them breathe daily. That 4-week break represents nearly 8% of the year. Though it could be argued that 8% is not enough, it is an important start in helping to prevent nearsightedness as well as protecting the still-developing adolescent brain.

Perhaps more than anything, 4 weeks at camp hopefully sets some behavioral patterns so that young people will be more aware of their screen time when they return home, will choose to spend more time outside in the sunshine and fresh air, and will encourage their friends and family to join them. Doing so will benefit both their physical and their mental health.

Though Frank Cheley may not have imagined the scope of the challenges today’s young people face, he definitely understood the critical importance of spending time outside and how that positively impacts youth development. The fun of camp has always been and still is contagious, but in today’s world, the “plus” in FunPlus® has deeper meaning and even greater significance.

To read these and other articles in the January/February issue of Camping Magazine, click here.

Giving Thanks—A Letter from Bailey

Dear A Thousand Summers,

As Thanksgiving approaches, I have been thinking about what I’m thankful for and my time at camp is near the top of the list. I want you to know how much camp means to me and how grateful I am to your donors who have made the camp experience possible for me.

Camp is not only fun; it helps you grow. And the past 3 years at camp have helped me grow in countless ways.

Oh wow, where do I start? Camp is pretty much all about trying new things! From your first sleep-away camp to your first hike to your first time trying jambalaya, camp is all about new experiences. There’s nothing more to say than that camp made me more curious and excited to learn. It’s thrilling and so, so worth it when you peak that first mountain. Especially since you know there’s so much more to come.

There are so many things that have helped me increase my confidence at camp. The freedom, the programs, the friends, the everything! Camp builds on your confidence in so many ways. For example, the hikes at the beginning of the term are easy: A hike to Ouzel Falls or Dream Lake. But by the 4th week, you could find yourself peaking three mountains in one day, or even going up Meeker! Camp does this to build your endurance, self-esteem, and confidence. And because of it, even if you’d never do it again, you can leave camp confidently thinking: “I did that.”

Camp is basically one big team. You’re always part of a group, a team, a family. And because of that, you always have to cooperate, listen, and trust one another. In hikes, you have to trust your group to stay together and motivate each other. In crafts, you have to be supportive and respectful of other works. During All-Camp and Playday, you’re either working with fellow campers to create a funny skit, or you’re helping your team win tug of war. It’s all a team effort. All of it. And you have to be committed to your team to win.

Camp also teaches you how to problem solve. When I went technical climbing, I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to get up to the next ledge on the rock, but after some back and forth with my friends who were belaying me and a few stumbles, I found some good footing and got to the ledge. You always have to problem solve at camp, but that’s what makes it so much better. Because it’s satisfying when you don’t know how to do something at first, and then some problem-solving pays off.

Nature has always just seemed to work with me, so spending a month immersed in the outdoors at camp is great. Camping outdoors makes me feel free and happy. Climbing on boulders is fun and refreshing. Hiking takes me to places that truly let my love for the natural beauty of the land flow. Although bug bites are really annoying, it’s worth a million mosquito bites just to see the breathtaking view from the peak of a mountain.

I had a lot of great experiences at camp, but it was the counselors that had the greatest impact on me this summer. They were so sweet and kind and just made me feel like I was on the top of the world. I could come to them with anything, and I knew they’d always listen. They motivated me in ways that have truly touched my heart, and I will never forget them.

This experience means everything to me. Not getting to go to camp truly feels like not getting to go home. It has impacted me so much and I would not be who I am today without it.

There just isn’t any combination of words in the entire world, in any language, that can tell you truly how much I thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me go back to the place I call a secondary home. It is truly a blessing that you made this happen for me.

Bailey

This gift of a camp experience quite literally changes the lives of both the campers and their families! This is an unmatched experience that gives kids the necessary tools they need to believe in themselves. Confidence, determination, perseverance, self-regulation, collaboration, and problem-solving are just a few of the amazing traits these kiddos strengthen at camp in a way that positively affects the rest of their lives! Camp has a direct impact on quality of life for everyone who is lucky enough to experience it.

—Bailey’s Mom

Give them wings and they will fly

We are excited to announce that the first year of the ATS Outdoor Leadership Program was a big success!

Seven of our former campership recipients spent two weeks on a backpacking and river travel wilderness expedition through Colorado and Utah developing their backcountry and first aid skills, gaining leadership experience, and earning certifications that will help them land jobs as camp counselors or in other aspects of the outdoor industry. The trip was led by our partner in this new program, Open Roads, and Gillian, our Program Director accompanied the group on their adventure.

The photo galleries below provide a glimpse of what the experience was like for those who participated:

campfire
journaling
paddling
service1
campfire
floating
swim
service2
Gillian
campfire
mountain top
poncho

Photo Credits: Quamae, @QuamaeTheCreative

Photo Credits: Jean, Outdoor Leadership Program Participant (Email)

For more information on the Outdoor Leadership Program, click here.

Greetings from Camp!

Happy summer! I hope you are enjoying the outdoors and taking part in some summer camp-type activities of your own. Whether that’s doing some hiking, taking a family camping trip, sailing, fishing, or just eating s’mores, hopefully your summer is going well!

I, along with ATS staff members Alyssa and Gillian, recently had the pleasure of visiting many of our associate camps. We got to see our kids in action, speak with a few of our ATS Fellows (counselors), witness the beauty of each of these amazing camp properties, meet with their inspiring directors, and see firsthand the power of the summer camp experience for the kids we serve.

We visited Wavus, Kieve, and Kawanhee in Maine, Songadeewin (our newest camp) in Vermont, and Thunderbird, Ogichi, and Kooch-i-ching in Minnesota. We also recently attended the first term final weekend festivities at Cheley Colorado Camps. Gillian will be making additional visits to Cheley and Sanborn in the next few days.

I am pleased to report that our kids are happy and healthy and fully immersing themselves in all that camp has to offer. Their smiles and laughter were infectious, and we were reminded of how lucky we are to engage in this work of changing kids’ lives through summer camp.

As we spoke with our ATS campers and Fellows on our camp visits, they told us how camp had become their home away from home. They felt welcome, comfortable, safe, and accepted for who they are. The sheer joy, the lack of stress, and the genuine connections our campers make through their shared adventures at camp will generate lifelong memories and friendships while allowing them to develop into the best versions of themselves. 

Thank you for your continued support in helping us provide these powerful experiences for the kids we serve.

Lessons in Leadership

Camp is a place for people to ‘try on’ different personalities and leadership styles. We want to teach young men and women that they can indeed be leaders. And we want to teach those people who are natural leaders how they can positively utilize their gifts for good…We want them to experiment with their own leadership styles, experience success in leading, and realize there will be some failures as leaders too.

Jeff Cheley, Owner and Director of Cheley Colorado Camps

Campers, whether they are A Thousand Summers campership recipients or not, have many opportunities to develop leadership skills through the activities they participate in and the experiences they have at camp. For the oldest campers, some have the chance to serve in official leadership and decision-making roles in their camp groups. They could be a JC (Junior Counselor), a CILT (Camper in Leadership Training), or an AC (Assistant Counselor), depending on which camp they attend, but in all cases they continue to hone their leadership skills and also give back to the camp community by serving as role models and mentors to younger campers.

These junior camp leaders truly embody the spirit of camp and can share the traditions of camp and model the culture of camp in a way that younger campers relate to and want to emulate. As they help lead activities and make decisions for camp groups in conjunction with staff members, these young leaders learn how to transition from being a camper (a consumer of the camp experience) to being a counselor (a creator of the experience for others).

Many thanks to Ariella Rogge, the Director of Sanborn Western Camps, who shared that description of the progression from consumer of the camp experience to creator of the camp experience for others. We love that explanation!

This coming summer, several ATS campers will be working through that transition from “consumer to creator” as campers in leadership positions at our associate camps.

In those roles, our campers will share the camping, outdoor, and leadership skills that they’ve acquired over their years at camp. The leadership programs may also include a service component where they will lead other campers in a service project on camp property, for the National Park or the National Forest, the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, or other environmental causes near the camp.

Our young leaders will learn responsibility, time management, independence, collaboration, and teamwork, as well as problem solving, communication, and conflict resolution strategies. In their unique position and with their close connection to the younger campers, they will play an integral role in building community and supporting youth development while simultaneously developing critical skills for their own future academic or professional pursuits.

Many campers in leadership training positions become counselors at their various camps a couple of years down the road, once they are eligible to apply. Former junior counselors make great new camp staff hires as they are very familiar with the camp experience, values, and culture and have already received some training. Their past experience at camp uniquely prepares them to be effective staff members.

Successful Junior Counselors are often successful staff members because they have a desire to put the needs of others ahead of their own, they know how to support the community as a whole, they demonstrate fortitude and perseverance in the outdoors, and they understand some of the challenges that come from working with large, diverse groups of campers. These skills are incredibly transferable and are often reflected back on college admissions essays as well as in their own desire to return to be on staff, not because they ‘just want to be with my friends’ but because ‘I want to give back to the place which provided me with so much.’

Ariella Rogge, Director of Sanborn Western Camps

At A Thousand Summers, we are very aware that once our campers complete their Junior Counselor or Camper in Leadership Training experience, they have “aged out.” Historically, there has been a year gap between when that “age out” happens and when our Campership alumni are eligible to apply to be staff members.

We have recently implemented a new program to help fill that gap.

This summer is the inaugural year of our Outdoor Leadership Program for former ATS campership recipients ages 17-19. Our goal is to have 8-12 participants enroll. Those who are accepted into the program will embark on a 2-week awe-inspiring backpacking and river travel immersive wilderness trip in Colorado and Utah, led by the reputable outdoor adventure company, Open Roads. Participants will focus on leadership, team building, environmental education, service learning, and acquiring wilderness tripping certifications. All of these skills prepare participants to be effective camp counselors should they choose to apply to our Camp Fellowship Program the following year or seek other employment in the outdoor industry.

The Camp Fellowship Program started in the summer of 2023. It is a leadership and career development program designed for our alumni campers, centered on employment at summer camp. Our Camp Fellows are official staff members/counselors of the camps they attended and they go through the same staff training and have the same responsibilities as all other staff members, but they receive additional mentoring, training, and financial support from ATS. We had four Camp Fellows in 2023 and aim to have eight in 2024.

We already serve our ATS kids for their lifespan as a camper (ages 10 to 16 or 17), but now we have opportunities in place to expand and enhance what we can offer, serving them for their lifespan of camp and beyond! As a result, they can continue to explore their passion for camp and outdoor leadership while receiving excellent training and experience that uniquely prepares them to be camp staff members or to pursue other outdoor professional endeavors. Regardless of what field they may choose, they will have developed critical skills that will set them up for success.

We are excited about our campers in leadership positions this summer as we know that it is just a first step in their pathway to leadership. We are also very proud of our new program offerings and hope you will take some time to learn more about them by visiting our Programs page.

We are grateful every day to be able to work with the wonderful kids we serve, the great camps with whom we partner, and the generous donors who support us. By working together, we are developing compassionate, dedicated, young leaders who want to make a difference in the world and who have what it takes to create change.