Expanding The Vision Of Future Generations

A simple overnight camp idea turned international retreat

The bell rings on the first day of school, and all the kids come clambering into their homeroom classes, gossiping about the summer’s events — the new friends they made, the vacations their families took, the amazing new places they got to explore, and the overnight camps they sang songs at. For many years, I listened, imagining the countries they visited and smiling as they shared camp stories.

From then on, I had the urge to go away to summer camp. My lovely mother found a Black-owned camp that I attended for two summers in a row before it shut down. I knew that my cousin and I were fortunate to be able to go away to a camp like that. Many African-American kids don’t have the chance to do what we were able to do. Those days remain some of my favorite childhood memories.

As a young adult, it became a dream of mine to open up a summer camp for inner-city kids. I wanted them to have fun childhood memories, to make friends, and just be kids! Through the years, I’ve traveled to thirty different countries and lived in two outside of the U.S. Traveling has opened my mind, heart, and soul to the beauty of the world, the kindness in people, and our interconnectedness as a whole.