Kids Camp still has plenty of openings
Kalispell Middle School sixth-grader Kateland Benafield looks through a Flathead CARE leadership camp brochure given to her Tuesday by Kasey Haugan, a camp counselor. The camp costs $175 for those who sign up before June 1 or $200 after that date.
Right now, there are more counselors than campers lined out for Flathead CARE’s annual leadership camp.
High school and college students who attended the camp, as campers or counselors or both, are making the rounds in schools this week, trying to drum up interest in CARE Kids Camp.
About 25 students have signed up for camp so far, Flathead CARE executive director Kari Gabriel said — leaving room for about 75 more campers.
The camp takes place June 15 through 18 at Big Sky Bible Camp near Bigfork and is open to incoming seventh- and eighth-graders. It’s put on by Flathead CARE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing alcohol, tobacco and drug use by Flathead County youth.
Campers work on building self-esteem, problem-solving, self-motivation, leadership and healthy decision-making skills. The camp teaches those skills based on the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets — qualities that help create healthy, caring and responsible teenagers.
Teaching concepts like that could be abstract and dry, but Kids Camp is anything but boring, past campers say. There are games, team-building exercises, good food and the chance to make lifelong friends.
Ask anyone who’s been to camp “and I guarantee it’s one of the most fun weeks they’ve ever had,” former camper and Glacier High School sophomore Nate Higgins told a group of Kalispell Middle School students on Tuesday.
“You get no sleep at all. It’s really fun,” Briana Kutsch, a Glacier High freshman, added.
Counselors have just as much fun as campers, Gabriel said.
“It’s a week of no downs,” she said. At the end of camp, “nobody wants to go home, whether it’s staff or kids.”
That’s what brought Will Tedrow back to camp. Tedrow attended Kids Camp as a seventh-grader and was a counselor his junior and senior years of high school. He’s now a sophomore at the University of Idaho and is the assistant director of this year’s Kids Camp.
“It’s so much fun,” Tedrow said of why he is helping with camp.
CARE Kids Camp costs $175 for those who sign up before June 1. After June 1, the price jumps to $200.
But there are scholarships available to students who need them. Last year Flathead CARE provided 50 $100 scholarships, Gabriel said.
Budget constraints mean CARE might not have as many scholarships to give away this year, but there still is help available to students who need it.
For additional information about Kids Camp or to get an application, visit www.flatheadcare.org or call 751-3970.
Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.