Camp Scully set to reopen for summer fun

Colin Stewart, director of Camp Scully, is building a pool of volunteers to assist at the Albany Diocese's summer camp in Wynantskill

The camp is reopening this month after it skipped last summer's sessions to allow time for repairs, refurbishing and upgrades.

Volunteers have spruced up the existing buildings for this summer's campers, who include many poor children who attend with the help of a scholarship fund.

More to do

"We've been very successful in renovating the existing buildings," Mr. Stewart said, "but we've just put Band-Aids on old buildings. What we now have is a clean and improved camp that is ready for the campers."

Within the next few years, he hopes to see new buildings on the campsite because "the existing buildings just do not meet the needs of the counselors and campers anymore."

Camp Scully, which is 86 years old, began on New Scotland Avenue in Albany. The current site on Snyder's Lake has been open since 1934.

Limitations

Mr. Stewart said that the current buildings have a capacity for 60 children between 7 and 14.

"Our current master plan for development calls for doubling the number of kids and opening up the camp on a year-round basis," he noted.

That would allow use of the camp by student groups throughout the school year. "The camp site would be used more often and more efficiently in that manner," he explained.

Serving the needy

The mission of Camp Scully is to provide a recreational and learning environment for all children. Mr. Stewart said that commitment includes providing partial or full scholarships for at least 85 percent of the campers.

"We have been able to ensure that the scholarship fund is adequate for 2006, but we still need donations for the 2007 season," he said.

Mr. Stewart also needs volunteers. "We've had a wonderful community response to our call for volunteers to help us ready the camp for this summer," he said. "I hope people don't stop volunteering. We are always looking for helpers. There's lots to do to keep folks busy at Camp Scully. Give us a call."

(At Camp Scully, children participate in a broad range of sports and activities, including American Red Cross swim sessions, a ropes course, archery, cooking, dancing, story-telling, and arts and crafts. Camp Scully reopens June 25 with a ceremony at 12:15 p.m.; it includes a guided tour. To volunteer or make a donation, call 453-6650.)

(6/8/06) [[In-content Ad]]