Dear Camp Abbey, Thank You For Putting the Kids First
Camp Abbey has become a place my kids love going. The week-long sleep away camp, roughly 40 miles north of our home has become a place my kids can fish, hike, partake in archery, and make lifelong memories with friends. It’s even more special that I also attended the same camp when I was a kid in the 90’s. Given my personal history with the camp, I feel confident and secure with them being there. My main worry is, “Will they just eat junk all week?”
Then there’s the tragedy that occurred at Camp Mystic. A nightmare no parent can ever dream of living. But even with the knowledge of that tragedy, you never think that will happen to your kids. So when camp registration opened this April, I signed my son up without a second thought. His camp week came and went the second week of June. We dropped him off with his fishing pole and trunk in tow and awaited pictures to populate on the camp website.
At the end of the week we picked him up, and spent the hour-long car ride home being bombarded with stories about the fun of his week away. It was … just as it should be. But then, at the start of the next week, I got a generic email from Camp Abbey. “Due to severe weather risk, we are closing camp early. All campers should be picked up by 3pm today.” It was Wednesday. A whole 4 days before the normal end to the camp week. And in that moment I felt simultaneously grateful beyond measure that my child was not at camp that week and anxious and heartbroken for the parents who did have kids at camp that week.
I doubt that any of us would have panicked as much had the tragedy of Camp Mystic not been fresh on everyone’s mind. But it is. Parents everywhere are still reeling from the devastation and heartbreak of that disaster. So I can only imagine the anxiety these local camp parents felt, trying to get to their kids on time.
Even though I didn’t have a camper there this particular week, I found myself grateful Camp Abbey used this level of caution. I have no doubt there was at least one or two parents who likely complained, and/or wanted their money back for the “short week,” but I personally was glad they put campers’ health and safety first. As a parent, it gives me increased confidence in their ability to care for my child while they spend a week completely detached from the outside world. It gives me peace knowing that they will place the safety of each camper at the forefront, regardless of how that may complicate logistics. It makes me happy to continue being a Camp Abbey patron all these years after I began going as a child.
So to the directors of Camp Abbey, THANK YOU! We know that the logistics of running a camp with 1000s of kids each summer is not easy. We know it is a labor of love. We see you. We are grateful for the care you provide our children. Thank you for putting their safety first!
