We’re on the ground in Western North Carolina running camp for families impacted by Hurricane Helene, which carved a wide path of destruction through the heart of Appalachia. 

Despite our work of the past several years, we are still running into some frustrating systemic barriers when setting up camps to help give kids a space to find a semblance of normalcy while schools are closed and normal childcare networks are disrupted. 

Being able to reconnect and reforge ties of community is the backbone of resilience, and we’re grateful that we can help foster it with a camp in Greenfield, Iowa.

We wrapped up our camp in Sulphur, Oklahoma yesterday after serving more than 300 children impacted by devastating tornadoes that ripped through the state over the last two weeks.

When camp is up and running, it typically means we’re in the middle of a disaster scrambling to operate as the world around us falls to pieces. But starting today we’re helping run a camp just outside Orlando, Florida that’s been planned months in advance.

2023 was a year of growth and evolution for Project:Camp. We’ve quickly left the days of scrappy startup nonprofit behind us and transformed into an outfit capable of popping up trauma-informed camps anywhere in the U.S. in 48 hours.

While our Maui camps were certainly the response that received the most attention, it was far from the only thing we accomplished this year.

Preparedness work is vital. Without the crush of emails, or the never-ending stream of zooms, communities across the world would face even more devastating outcomes when disasters hit.

We saw how incredible the community response was in Hawaii, and it reminded us that preparedness is largely about relationship building so that when a response is needed, everyone is connected and knows their part. 

As we get ready to turn over childcare to our local partners, we’re struck by the profound connections we’ve made on Maui and the outpouring of support for children and families from the community.

It's been an emotional week for us as we've grappled with responding to a disaster that's taken the lives of more than 100 people and irrevocably changed the lives of many more.

As we head into the second half of the year at Project:Camp, we’re feeling ready to take on whatever challenges lie ahead.

We’re in the heart of our “blue sky” season, where our disaster response commitments are relatively infrequent and a lot of our time is spent on preparedness and organizing.

2022 is in the books and it was truly an inflection point for Project:Camp.

When we talk about what we’re grateful for in our Gratitude Circles at camp, it’s about reframing children's experiences during a disaster. Expressing gratitude – even for the most inconsequential things – helps them realize there can be moments of beauty and joy during challenging times.

Responding to Hurricane Ian has given us new perspective.

Project:Camp is on the ground working to get camp up and running as schools are closed and childcare networks are down across much of the Southwestern portion of Florida.

What stood out most for us this go around was the community support in Siskiyou. It was truly remarkable and a great testament to working with local stakeholders ahead of disasters to begin building relationships and laying out plans to support families during emergency situations.

The break in fire season has also given us valuable time to continue proactive community organizing work, helping disaster-prone regions plan and implement emergency response measures that take into account the needs of families and children.