Camp Spearhead!

Day 222: So we have arrived at the site of our last project, Camp Spearhead in Marietta, South Carolina. I LOVE IT HERE. The camp is absolutely beautiful, newly built camp for adults and children with special needs. The camp has been around for a long time, but this will be its final resting place. It was established my families in Greenville County who wanted a place for their children to have somewhere to feel at home. The community raised over 12 billion dollars to help fund the construction of the camp.

Since arriving here our team has had the opportunity to work at the Special Olympics and attend a Red Sox Minor League baseball game with the campers from Camp Spearhead. They are an amazing bunch of people. So fun and full of life! This is a population I feel very passionately about, as all of you know, and this project is really what I’ve been waiting for this entire year. I’ve been waiting to see the impact that we make in the community we are working with, and understand what our work means. I’ve also been waiting to really immerse myself in the community and get to know them, which has been amazing so far. This weekend we will be hosting an overnight at camp where about 100 campers will come and do various activities as well as stay over for the night. I’m really excited about this because we are planning some really great things (gardening, making/painting picture frames to hang photos of campers in as well as a dance party and volleyball game!)

Some of the project work that we will be doing while on site: building a handicap accessible deck and boardwalk at the high ropes course, hanging swings from the old camp, establishing a primitive campsite, and completing a nature shed. I’m really excited to work outside in the beautiful weather and build some things that will be here for a long time. Plus, our sponsors are great and we have met some awesome people so far, so I am excited to impress them!

Other than that I have been trying to decide where to go to grad school. I was accepted into UMass and now have a very difficult decision to make. They are very different schools, with very different pros and cons as well as drastically different attendance costs. My heart and my head are saying 2 very different things. I have a little more time to figure it out but any advice would be great!

Will update with pictures soon from Special Olympics, baseball game, overnight and completed deck ☺