Coming to Camp Foley I had a lot of recreation/camp experience under my belt, so when summer 2025 came around I was ready for another adventure.. and an adventure it was.
Three “ALL” camp family style meals per day, alpha games, opening/closing camp fires, and tree houses were just a few adventures I haven’t experienced in the past. While these were new to me they showed me what a true “summer camp” adventure was. From the moment I arrived at camp in the early mornings seeing campers dragging themselves to the benches to wait for the first bell to ring, to walking from cabin to cabin as the sun set to make sure campers were settling down, this summer provided an experience you wouldn’t get anywhere else.
To me summer camp meant fun in the sun and non stop activities, but here at Camp Foley it’s so much more. I noticed that here at Foley the activities really drive our mission into the campers; Grow Grit and Investigate Independence. As I jumped in and out of the activities throughout the days I would quickly notice how many of the campers grew and interacted with each other no matter their age. Seeing many of the older camps quickly taking the younger campers under their wings during the activity periods proved how many great leaders come out of Camp Foley. I not only noticed this in our campers but in our summer staff as well.
One of my passions is teaching the youth about the great outdoors and watching them grow. Here at Camp Foley I got to witness both aspects ten fold. Some of the highlights from summer were taking time for “teachable moments” when they presented themselves and seeing the enjoyment from both campers and summer staff brought great joy to me this summer.
Summer of 2026 is looking bright!
See ya around!
-Benji Thoennes