Dear Camp Toccoa Alumni, Stakeholders, and Trustees
I could think of no greater audience for which to compose a letter on this beautiful fall day. There are so many of you, and most of you I have not met. I hope that over the next few years that will change. It will need to change if we are to preserve these Camp Fire values and camping traditions for the generations to come. We will need to reconnect and revitalize those relationships with Camp Fire that are so central to our purpose and mission. If I must have a purpose beyond offering my regards, it is to invite all of you, the campers, the staff, the parents and grandparents, and the board members, to reconnect or further your connection with Camp Fire.
Two seasons ago, I was hired as the Summer Camp Director for Camp Toccoa. I love what all of you have built here and am honored to be at the helm of those efforts. I have enjoyed watching children that had never caught a fish beam with excitement holding their catch, the awe of a child seeing the stars for the first time in a broad night sky, and the thrill of a child experiencing a thunderstorm or seeing a snake in the wild. I enjoyed working with the energetic young staff as they took on some of their first leadership experiences as counselors. I am so grateful for this place and that my life grants me a role in creating these childhood experiences for so many. I am grateful to witness and take part in that “camp magic.”
In 1927 when the Atlanta Camp Fire Charter purchased and built Camp Toccoa it was a very different world. I doubt that any of them foresaw the $65,000 insurance policies, background checks for staff, and essential training to prevent bullying and abuse as a prerequisite for creating “camp magic”. The costs and landscape of non-profits and camping were very different then, and the buildings were newer. Parents and families are different; children are different, but what is not different is a child’s need to connect and find a sense of belonging in the world. Camp Toccoa fills that need for so many and has for ninety-eight years. Camp Fire is evolving to find its place in this new and ever-changing landscape, but what will never change is our resolute commitment to accept all people, environmental justice, and diversity.
I want children to become healthy adults and build better communities with strong resiliency networks. I want my children and your children, and all children, to inherit a better world. I think that Camp Toccoa is a good place to start. I believe that when children leave camp they take with them a sense of connection, deeper empathy, greater physical and emotional strength. They have a lot of fun, take on some new skills, and sing ridiculous songs. And without fail they create “camp magic,” a community empowered by children, led by young adults and protected by a Board of Trustees and a Director who see the promise of tomorrow in them. As the Director of Camp Toccoa, I recognize the many needs of our camp to preserve this rite of passage for years to come, and I am encouraged by the young faces that inhabited the now quiet acres beneath the pines these past two summers to meet these needs. I am encouraged by the families and alumni who sent their children. I am encouraged by the Trustees, donors, and volunteers that have offered help and donations. I am encouraged by all of those who found a place of belonging and connection marked by the call of “WoHeLo”.
In closing, let me thank you for your time. I hope that each of you will consider how you might reconnect with Camp Toccoa. Whether that be participating in fund raising, volunteering, or even having your birthday party at camp, you are the spark that Camp Toccoa needs. Many hands make light work and I hope that you will be a part of those many hands.
Chuck Taylor
Camp Director
706 716 9328