CAMP! was founded in 1991, when the Vermont Migrant Education Program discontinued their 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 inaccessible for them and their families. Our funding began with a donor-advised grant from the Haymarket People’s Fund of $13,000. Each year this grant was reduced until it expired in1996. David Young was our founding Managing Director, followed by Judy Bush for many years, then Harry Frank, Wendy Shea, and currently John O’Farrell.
CAMP! continues to be an organization directed and supported by the people who form its core staff. Most of our Board of Directors are either current camp volunteers or have been in the past. We have maintained a strong relationship with Vermont Migrant Education, as children from their program make up approximately a third of our camper population.
We have been fortunate to be able to rent the Aloha Foundation’s Aloha Hive camp since our founding. Aloha Hive is located on Lake Fairlee in West Fairlee, Vermont, and is a wonderful place for our campers to experience CAMP! each summer. We are grateful for the Aloha Foundation’s continued support of our program.
By encouraging our campers to return each year, making space for siblings, and offering teens leadership opportunities, we have built a strong camp community that supports these children and their families. We appreciate your donation to help continue to make this possible.
