What the Kids Say: Adventure Programs

“Thanks to you I got to see three live deer – two does and a buck. I also got to see two turtles. I got to swim in a pond, which I have never done. I got to sleep under the stars and cook over an open fire. I got to see different types of fish and travel to the river.  It is really peaceful in the woods and I’m glad you made this all possible.”

“I made many friends and I tried my hardest to be a role model to younger kids that looked up to me and watched everything I did! I learned how to be a better leader and that no matter who or where you are you should always set a good example. I think that many of the things I have learned here at Scottie’s Place will help me at home.”

“One of my greatest accomplishments was our community service project, Food for Children, where I packaged meals for over 3500 starving children across the world. I am so thankful for the opportunity to save so many lives. That project told me that it is easy to help someone else – you just have to be willing.”

“I really enjoyed all the new friends I made and I learned to deal with my anger in a better way. I’ve learned to handle more responsibility since I’ve been here. I think I can go home and be a better role model for others.”

“Because I got to come back to Scottie’s Place I accomplished many things that I never thought I could. For example, I learned how to build and also how to survive in the wilderness.  I also learned self-respect and this let me know that I can accomplish anything if I put my mind to it. My most challenging moments at Scottie’s Place were adapting to my surroundings because I’m a city girl.”

“My most challenging experience was learning how to swim. I had a life jacket but I didn’t trust it at first. I tried to teach myself how to do it at first and then I asked Jo-El. It took me two days to realize that the life jacket was going to keep me safe. Then I started swimming in the deep water. I felt like I learned how to do something very, very important.”

“I conquered fears, I had fun, I ate venison, I camped out and this is the only place that people would listen to me when I talked.”

“I know I got a lot stronger here – my muscles look bigger. I can start a fire with one match. I’m mentally stronger because I know there’s always a place where there’s a positive attitude all the time and where you can get away from all the madness.”

“I faced a lot of really big challenges at camp, but the biggest one was talking to people and allowing them to be my friends. I had to handle things one day at a time and realize they were not going to stereotype or pick on me. After facing my challenges I lightened up and had fun! I learned to dance in front of people and to laugh. I made a lot of friends here and made a lot of really GOOD friends.”

“I made 22 friends and I was a role model. I was a role model to Trae because he looked up to me. I taught him new things – how to swim, how to canoe, and I taught him how to be patient.”

“At camp we got to swim and we got to fish. We also got to go to the river. I got to ride a canoe and it was fun! We got to swim in the Old Pond and we got to go in the sweat lodge. We got to sleep outside by the campfire. I had a lot of fun! I’m thankful for the Old Pond, and my favorite animal, the pig Hamlet. He can run fast. He can go under the momma donkey. Markitta, Marvin, Kevin and everybody are my new friends now. We fixed bikes. Jeremy helped us. He helped us pump the tires. I rode my bike and it was fun. I’ve gotten faster at running.”

“Paddling seven miles on the New River was a challenge and so was passing my swim test. It was kind of hard but I kept on trying. I learned I could do things better than I think I can. That means if you keep on trying you can do things you didn’t know you could.”

“I learned how to manage my anger with Paul. I was feeling really mad and Paul helped me calm down. He taught me that if you get mad over little stuff when you grow up you’ll be making war with other countries.”

“Here, friends are so diverse – so many different ages, backgrounds and personalities – it’s very different from home. All the campers and counselors became a big family. Everyone treats you with such respect, and everyone here at Scottie’s Place loves you.”

“I learned over these past two wonderful weeks that the wilderness is fun and animals are great. You just have to learn to be open to them and take care of the wilderness because it’s a great place to be.”

“Over the past two weeks I’ve changed. I learned how to make homemade mashed potatoes and I’ve learned to like new foods that I didn’t like before. I improved my canoe skills. I can paddle better. I taught myself. I learned to track deer. I look for footprints and deer poop. I helped to build a ramp with a hammer, nails, and wood. I felt good about myself because I helped build something that other people are going to use.”

“I made many friends because all the kids made me feel welcome and even though they didn’t know me, they gave me a chance to express myself.”

“I changed a lot while I was at Scottie’s Place. I got tanner and I learned that water tastes good! I learned how to shoot a bow and arrow and I learned that hiking could be fun.”

“Thank you for supporting my session at Scottie’s Place. This was my third year and the greatest session yet. First of all, I’m thankful for you sponsoring me. I’m also thankful for Paul and Jo-El for starting Scottie’s Place and for having such big hearts. I’m thankful for the greatest beauty God placed on this earth. Finally, I’m thankful that I had more responsibilities this session. I got to help serve meals. I also got to help with the younger and newer campers. I’m thankful for the friends I made who live all over the United States.”

“My favorite thing to do was meeting new people. I learned new games and now I can teach my friends when I get back home. I got stronger by going on bike rides and long hikes. My biggest challenge was going up the big hills during the bike rides. I am thankful for Scottie’s Place being here and meeting new people that I will never forget.”

“In the last two weeks I learned how to challenge myself and enjoy it, along with valuing people’s opinions that I may not have listened to before. I learned how to respect different people.”

“I still can’t believe I went a whole fourteen days without electricity.”

“I have changed by starting to listen to other people and I understand what it means to be a role model. I think I can be a role model to other kids at home.”

“I want to thank you for giving me a second chance to go to Scottie’s Place. I feel very, very comfortable here and I have lots of fun and even though the hikes were kind of challenging I took the best out of it and saw amazing things.”