Come Together

Camp Fontanelle is built around community. Camp is not something kids do on their own. It’s something they experience together. From cabins and meals to activities and worship, campers live, learn, and grow in shared space.

Being together shapes how camp feels. It creates belonging. It invites responsibility for one another. It teaches kids that they are part of something larger than themselves.

Why Community Matters

Kids learn who they are in relationship with others. Research and experience both show that strong peer connections support emotional health, confidence, and resilience. When kids feel seen and accepted, they are more willing to try new things, speak honestly, and take healthy risks.

At camp, community isn’t left to chance. Cabin groups, shared activities, and consistent counselors create an environment where relationships can deepen over time. Campers learn how to listen, how to speak up, and how to care for the people around them.

What Together Looks Like at Camp

Life at camp is shared. Campers eat meals together, solve problems together, and celebrate successes together. They experience moments of joy and challenge side by side. These shared moments build trust and understanding in ways that can’t be replicated in more isolated settings.

Being together also means learning how to navigate differences. Campers practice patience, cooperation, and forgiveness. They learn how to include others and how to ask for help when they need it. Counselors guide these moments with care, helping campers grow through real experiences rather than avoiding them.

Belonging and Faith in Community

Community at Camp Fontanelle is rooted in faith. Shared worship, prayer, and reflection help campers understand that faith is not something lived alone. It’s experienced in relationship with others and expressed through care, service, and compassion.

These shared practices invite campers to explore questions, build trust, and grow in understanding together. Faith becomes part of everyday life, woven into conversations, activities, and moments of reflection.

Skills That Last Beyond Camp

The ability to be part of a healthy community is one of the most important skills kids can develop. At camp, campers practice communication, empathy, leadership, and accountability. They learn how to support others and how to accept support themselves.

These experiences don’t end when camp is over. The confidence that comes from belonging and the skills learned through shared life continue to shape how campers show up at school, at home, and in their communities.

An Invitation to Belong

In a world where many kids feel isolated or overlooked, camp offers something different. It offers a place where kids are known, valued, and welcomed just as they are.

At Camp Fontanelle, being together is not just part of the experience. It is the heart of it.

Research Shows

• 60% of summer camp alumni report camp helped develop independence, teamwork, self-efficacy, leadership, and communication. (Richmond, Sibthorp, & Wilson, 2019)
• The teamwork experience at camp is transferable to academic and workplace settings. (Wilson & Sibthorp, 2018)
• Camp participants developed empathy, humility, and altruism, often through mentoring younger campers. (Martin, 2018)
• Experiential learning in summer camps enhances decision-making, team-building, and taking initiative. (Martin, 2018)
• Families report six-month post-camp increases in social skills, independence, and self-image. (Thurber et al., 2007)
• 69% of children and 58% of parents report camp helped them get to know kids who are different from them. (Bialeschki et al., 2007)
• Living with peers helps campers develop responsibility, relationship and conflict management skills. (Wilson & Sibthorp, 2018)