
Camp Exclamation Point, Inc. (CAMP!)
Our Mission Statement
Camp Exclamation Point, Inc. provides a one-week residential summer camp for rural Vermont kids with limited opportunities, where meaningful choices create a community of kindness.
Why Camp?
Many folks new to Camp Exclamation Point, and summer camp in general, ask us why summer camp is such an important experience for children. Why not a school year program? What does a week at camp do for a child? If you were ever fortunate enough to attend summer camp as a child, you probably know the answers to those questions. If not, here are a couple of people you may recognize who can tell you how their camp experiences helped shape the people they are today. This video was produced by the American Camp Association.
Camp makes a world of difference for children. Video: Because of camp
Camp Exclamation Point, Inc. (CAMP!) is a Vermont-based non-profit organization that provides a week of residential summer camp for over 100 children whose families are involved with the agriculture, dairy, or logging industries within the state. Our campers' families typically move to follow seasonal work within the state, have limited financial resources and are from rural Vermont communities. In addition to a traditional summer camp program, we also offer older campers a teen leadership training program. Our teen program provides older campers with the opportunity to develop leadership skills, and upon successful completion of the program they are eligible to apply for positions as staff-in-training.
CAMP! was founded in 1991, when the Vermont Migrant Education Program discontinued the original summer camp program. Several staff members from the discontinued program were committed to providing continuity for the children with whom they had been working, and created Camp Exclamation Point, Inc. as a way to meet that need. Staff recognized the summer experience made an important difference in these children's lives, and provided them with opportunities otherwise unaccessible for them and their families. CAMP! continues to be an organization directed and supported by the people who form its core staff.
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Check out the Program pages for more information about camp activities and what a day at camp looks like!
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For information on volunteering as staff at CAMP!, check out the Volunteers page
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Camper registration forms and directions for completing them are located on the Campers page
We're currently setting dates for Summer 2011 camp. Check back soon!
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