Camp Friendship

I went to the horse camp and it is the worst camp I have ever been to. It was a total waste of a large amount of money.

My daughter has been going to Camp Friendship for the last 5 years and has enjoyed every single year. When she first started going to camp she was afraid to try new things, painfully shy and only into computers. This all changed when she started going to Camp Friendship, which has been in business since 1966 and is still run by the original founder, a former Navy Pilot. There are so many daily activities to choose from and something for everyone: sports, crafts, art, music, theater, equestrian, water skiing, gymnastics… Summer Camp isn’t for everyone — and occasionally I will see a negative review but the majority of the kids who have been (many who go on to become counselors here) seem to have truly enjoyed their experience. Cell phones and other technological devices are not allowed — which is a good thing — it allows the campers to unplug and just be kids and have fun. You can write your camper with their e-​stamp program but in talking with the parents — most kids won’t write back because they are having too much fun! so don’t worry). 100’s of pictures are available for the parents to review twice a week so you are able to see your kid in action. One of the unique things about Camp Friendship is the number of international campers and counselors that come to Camp Friendship. My child has developed friendships with kids from all over the world and each year many of them come back and they continue to stay in touch throughout the year. In terms of the price I would say (based on my research of summer camps up and down the East Coast) it’s middle of the road. Some may think it’s expensive, however, there is no way that as a parent I could possibly create that experience and all those activities for my child. The food seems to be pretty good — large variety and lots of fruits and vegetables — my kid used to be a picky eater until she came to Camp Friendship. One year she came home and asked me to get vegemite because one of her friends from Australia had brought some and let her try it. Camp Friendship will accommodate food allergies, vegan, vegetarian etc. The cabins are divided between age groups and there is a junior camp and senior camp. The cabins are rustic and there is No AC but most kids bring a mini fan that can be plugged in (bring an extension chord) (highly recommend this). Each week they have a new theme and the kids have the option to dress up — Aloha week, 70’s Week etc. Then there is Color Wars — you never know when this is happening (it’s always a surprise and it happens maybe 2−3x per summer) and the kids absolutely love this. All the campers divide into 3 teams and participate in friendly competitions like tug of war, water sports etc. (Look up Color Wars on Wikipedia for more info). Camp Friendship is rustic, it can be hot and humid but it has been an awesome experience for my child. If you do send your child to summer camp, I would start with one week for the first time and if they like it extend to 2 or 3 weeks. There are some campers (mostly international) that will go for the entire summer which is about 8 weeks.

I wish it were possible to give Camp Friendship a negative amount of stars, they don’t even deserve one. My daughter attended this camp last week and I can guarantee you this will be her last. She arrived last Sunday, July 5^th.
She could not find her e-​letter (a system Camp Friendship uses) that she knew she had packed. She asked a counselor to print her new ones and she was told they couldn’t. She then asked if she could call me and ask me where they might be. She was told No you can’t call home. She was given a piece of paper and told to write me via snail mail (btw, I just received it today after I picked her up). I just learned when I picked her up today that they didn’t even provide her with the stamp or envelope, a cabin-​mate gave her them. Even though the camp director said that Camp Friendship provided her with paper, envelope and stamp (also documented in his letter)
Long story short, Camp Friendship’s Director Cris Higginbotham wrote me the most pompous letter citing the camps phone policy, why they couldn’t print her e-​letters and why I had trouble when I initially enrolled her.
He went on to tell me how I should see his counselors had done everything that they could to help her. What he was most appalled by was and I quote, «Personally, I’m appalled that our office and system administrators caused so many errors and made your experience enrolling with us so difficult and for that I sincerely apologize.»
«However, I do believe your daughter has been provided with a quality camp experience. One where she is having fun but also experienced adversity in a safe way.»
Here is what I find appalling:
The Camp Director finds his office issues and system most appalling — not how they responded to lost e-​letters and how a child felt
Multiple camp counselors didn’t help my daughter look for the letters (which were found), didn’t call me or email me so they could provide her with new e-​letters or allow her to ask me over the phone.
They allowed a child to feel isolated and feel as if she couldn’t communicate with her family when she wanted to.
They ZERO common sense on how to resolve a MINOR issue immediately
Took no responsibility for the issue and called it a «learning» experience
They refunded me 50 cents for a stamp!
The Camp Director lied
I did hear back from the owner, in a nut shell they have trust in Mr. Higginbotham to follow up and improve their service. He has always taken parents comments seriously and they are sorry that I am losing confidence in Camp Friendship. They hope my confidence in Camp Friendship will be restored.
I think that last part was a joke, right?

I was a camper at Camp Friendship as a mini camper at age six and I remained a camper until I was 13 years old. I went to mid-​year get-​away weekend camps, horseback riding equestrian week long camp, and also a week — sometimes two weeks — of general camp. It was marvelous! As an adult I enjoy going to family camp every summer with my husband and my daughter. Camp Friendship is a nearly 50 year old institution in the camping world and an excellent place to grow as a person. I love this special place more than I can explain.

I spent 9 years at camp friendship and loved it so much that I hope to work there soon. It’s such a wonderful place to be. They have so many different activities. Quite a few staff members are previous campers, so they really have a passion for the camp and are happy to be there. Camp is what you make of it and for me it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

My two kids spent a week in camp friendship. My daughter did a cheer focus and my son, a fishing focus. That week the only other kids doing a fishing focus were the children of the owners of the camp. They were older than my son and bullied him the entire week. I still feel bad that I put him through such a horrible week.