Nearly 500 guests who have
shared the dream of a wilderness camp for girls, based on the Cameron Boys Camp
model, helped to dedicate Camp Duncan for girls in Aberdeen Oct. 30.
“Ladies and gentlemen … dreams
do come true,” Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina (BCH) President Michael C. Blackwell
announced to the crowd.
Several attempts through the
years to create a girls camp fell short. But when the late Haskell and Gay
Duncan made their expansive residential property in Aberdeen available to BCH,
they provided the ideal location. Now, during BCH’s 125th anniversary and 30
years after the opening of Cameron Boys Camp, Camp Duncan for girls has
arrived.
BCH photo Arwen Hays, a counselor at Camp Duncan, gives a tour of the girls’ campsite to guests attending the dedication. Girls will live at the campsite with Arwen and other female counselors as part of the therapeutic camping program. |
“This is God’s timing,”
Blackwell proclaimed. “When God opens the door you have to be ready to move
through it. That is what has happened with Camp Duncan.”
Through the help of North
Carolina Baptist Men, contractor Chuck Scott, and hundreds of volunteer
laborers, BCH has repurposed the Duncan’s residential land and its existing
facilities for the camp.
“There has been so much
support … so many churches involved in building Camp Duncan,” said Camp
Duncan Director Paul Daley, a 30-year veteran of BCH, most of which he spent
directing Cameron Boys Camp. “You are part of building a spiritual heritage.
It’s all about Jesus and what He’s wanted us to do.”
Since early 2009, more than
2,000 volunteers have worked to transform the property.
“The volunteer efforts and
numerous donations have been vital,” Blackwell said. “Without the overwhelming
generosity of North Carolina Baptists and so many others there would be no Camp
Duncan.”
Camp Duncan will serve
school-aged girls. The children will live outside year round in a
highly-structured, wilderness environment. Three female staff members called
chiefs have been hired to serve as the counselors to the initial group of ten
girls. The goal is to help girls and their families overcome the challenges and
obstacles in their lives and reunify the household.
Like all of BCH’s programs,
Camp Duncan is Christ-centered. A very special place on the property is the
outdoor chapel where the girls will worship
“This has been one of the most remarkable years
ever at BCH,” Blackwell said, “And the dedication of Camp Duncan is one of the
events that has made it even more remarkable.”