Thanks to the generous support of local citizens, businesses and Career Source Gulf Coast, this summer camp season saw more Franklin County youth attending 4-H camp than any year in recent memory. Overall, 34 youngsters, aged 8-13, made the trip over to Choctawhatchee Bay for a healthy dose of summertime fun and learning. Additionally, the local Franklin County 4-H program provided 10 youth cabin counselors, aged 13-18, as mentors to the younger kids.
Along the edge of Choctawhatchee Bay, very near the high rises and bustle of Destin and Ft. Walton Beach, there exists a different world on the grounds of the University of Florida’s 4-H Camp Timpoochee. Nestled among a coastal live oak grove, the cabins, and other structures blend into the natural settings. It is a place where kids have come to capture a sense of amazement and fun since its establishment in 1926 as Florida’s first residential 4-H camp and one of the earliest in the nation.
Learning activities this year included arts and crafts, outdoor skills with archery and air rifles, swimming and kayaking, and many other outdoor/indoor games and guided sessions. All activities were conducted under the supervision of trained camp staff, who report to the Camp Staff Director, and UF/IFAS faculty who participate during the week. An atmosphere of safety, fun and acceptance is encouraged throughout, following the principles of positive youth development.
All in all, it was a great week of fun and learning, topped off with a tropical storm building in the Gulf off to the westward. Many thanks to the dedicated camp staff, agents, and 4-H organizational efforts that go into making this opportunity available for our local children and young adults. It is a life experience for these youth that will pay valuable dividends in our future leaders.
Thank you to all of our wonderful youth scholarship sponsors for this year:
Apalach Outfitters
Anita Grove
Anfield Consulting Group
Buccaneer Inn
Career Source Gulf Coast
Caroline T Weiler
Elaine Rosenthal
Fisherman’s Choice
Friends of the Reserve, Inc
Gunn Heating and AC
Mary Lou Bassett
Pam Corcoran
Richard Watson
Robert W. French
Rod & Connie Gasche
Shaun Donahoe
Sportsman’s Lodge
Trinity Episcopal Church
Water Street Seafood, Inc
Willis Hardware INC
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