Campers spend 10 days in the outdoors at no cost to their families. Contributed / Camp Susan Curtis

When third grader Sandie DeJoseph was told by her school counselor at Sebago Elementary School that she could go to Camp Susan Curtis, she felt she had won a prize.

“I was like, ‘Oh my god, I won a trip to summer camp,’” said DeJoseph, who has spent 14 summers at Camp Susan Curtis since that day in 2010.

“My family was really on the lower end financially, so it was already made very clear to me at that young age that we would not have the money to send me to a camp or to go on a family vacation or anything like that,” she said.

Camp Susan Curtis is celebrating 50 years of providing summer camp to economically disadvantaged Maine children at no cost to their families. The camp’s $1 million a year operating costs are funded by individuals, businesses, foundations and community organizations, according to Executive Director Scott Merrow. It also rents the camp property for summer events such as weddings.

The camp in Stoneham, a small town in Oxford County, was founded in 1974 to honor the life of Susan Curtis, the daughter of Gov. Kenneth Curtis and Pauline Curtis. Susan’s death at 11 years old from cystic fibrosis inspired businesses and community leaders across the state to create a camp that recognized how cost prohibited many Maine children from attending camp, despite the high number of camps in the state.

“Camp Susan Curtis was founded on the premise that kids in Maine, specifically, just didn’t have access to camp,” Merrow said. “I would say 50 years later, there’s never been a more important time for what’s happening in the camp space.”

Today, children entering fifth grade and up who are facing economic hardship are referred to Camp Susan Curtis by 250 school counselors across Maine that partner with the camp, as well as partners at Boys and Girls Clubs and Big Brothers Big Sisters, Merrow said.

The camp plans to expand its buildings to serve more children each year. Contributed / Photo by Brewster Burns

Each summer, 400 children attend 10-day sessions of the sleepaway camp where staff understands and accommodates not only the physical impact of financial hardship, but the emotional and psychological challenges that come with that lived experience.

“Oftentimes, families and households that are experiencing income barriers can be experiencing addictions and other types of traumas that come with that,” Merrow said, “especially kids who are coming out of trauma backgrounds, to feel safe – not just physically but emotionally – is when the lifelong learning starts.”

The camp staff includes a nurse practitioner with a background in psychology, teachers who work with kids with behavioral challenges, a social worker and an occupational therapist. Camp counselors are trained in trauma-informed approach. Almost half of the staff attended the camp themselves, according to promotional material.

Over the past 15 years, the camp has adjusted its programs and removed barriers to further accommodate the population it serves, according to Camp Director Terri Mulks.

Campers were arriving without sufficient supplies, so they now automatically receive free toiletries, necessary clothing, a pair of sneakers and new bedding that they can take home at the end of camp, Mulks said. Other barriers to attending camp such as transportation and paperwork for parents and guardians were minimized, as well.

Campers recreate on Trout Pond in Stoneham. Contributed / Photo by Brewster Burns

While younger campers engage in traditional camp activities such as paddleboarding and pottery, campers entering Grades 10-12 participate in a leadership development program. Now spearheaded by DeJoseph, the program teaches not only how to become future staff members if they so choose, but public speaking and how to apply for jobs, college and financial aid. Campers tour colleges and top employers in Maine and are encouraged to envision themselves seeking higher education and a variety of employment opportunities.

Looking toward its future, Camp Susan Curtis trustees and staff hope to expand the program to serve 25% more children and to run programs throughout the year instead of exclusively in the summer, Merrow said. These goals necessitate the expansion of buildings, winterization of the existing summertime structures and the hiring of more staff.

The 50th anniversary also offers a time for staff to reflect on its impact on Maine children, Mulks said. While there is no dedicated network of Camp Susan Curtis alumni, the camp estimates that over its 50 years, 19,000 children from Maine have participated in the program.

“If you’re in the state of Maine, someone around you has been to Camp Susan Curtis, and they are still here,” Mulks said. “We have so many people that become teachers, that become nurses, in what are considered to be ‘helping professions.’” Mulks credits Camp Susan Curtis for this foundational workforce development, as campers were exposed to a range of career paths.

Camp Susan Curtis has shaped both the economy of Maine and the financial futures of individual campers, she said, as the camp prepares children to advance on the socioeconomic ladder in adulthood.

“A lot of what we hope is that we won’t get our kids’ kids,” Merrow said. “If we’re really effective at what we do, then if Sandie (DeJoseph) grows older and starts a family, her kids won’t be eligible to come to us. That’s heaven.”

However, camp alumni are dedicated to staying connected to Camp Susan Curtis in other ways. Former campers make up 40% of the staff.

After visiting the University of Southern Maine as a counselor with Camp Susan Curtis last summer, DeJoseph decided she wanted to attend college and is now starting her teaching degree. Her 14 summers at Camp Susan Curtis motivated her to pursue a career working with children while also having summers free to continue working at the camp.

“I really think the reason why I keep coming back is because camp is pretty much my second family, like that is the space where I feel the most comfortable,” DeJoseph said.

“A lot of my campers this year asked me if I was going to be back next year because they really wanted me as their staff member again,” she said. “And I said, ‘Of course I’m going to be back next year. I don’t plan on giving up on Camp Susan Curtis, ever.’”