Gearing up 200 kids for a summer camp to remember
- Jun 9
- 3 min read
Picture this. You wake up as the sun peeks into your bunkhouse, alongside seven other acquaintances you now feel are family. As you step outside, the small Stove Creek bay greets you under the melody of bird songs. Unlike the Missouri River, the bay flows from, the water here is calm. Occasionally, ripples form from gusts rolling over the surrounding green hills. For two weeks, you'll get to enjoy the peace and tranquility of this safe harbor, along with the buzzing excitement of your escapades with fellow adventurers before heading back to Pine Ridge. You are already thinking of everything you'll be telling your family about this little slice of respite.
Every summer, Camp Marrowbone takes place on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota, only four hours from Pine Ridge and loved ones. For over 200 kids this summer, this experience is a chance to have fun while learning, exploring, and growing. Since 1971, the YMCA Seven Council Fires has been hosting summer camps, and this year is no different.
This camp is a chance for children from Pine Ridge to form new friendships and discover new passions through a myriad of activities, offering a short break from an environment that tests the resilience of many every day.
Last year, campers were overjoyed with the fun they had and the friendships they made. Iyahnna shared with us her thoughts on camp life.
“My favorite thing this year was probably hanging out with my friends,” said Iyahnna. “I had a group of friends I would go to activities with every day. They are people I met at camp and also from home.”
Campers are also encouraged to try new things, like The Grand Marathon. This competitive relay race involves all campers. Two teams compete across more than 30 different stations, including arts and crafts, archery, and even making and eating a PB&J sandwich. Each camper activity is incorporated into a friendly competition. Through The Grand Marathon, Iyahnna learned that she really liked running and was good at it.
“Running—that’s one new thing,” she said. “In this one activity we did, I would go to a spot, then when they told me to run, I would run with them, then I would cheer my teammates on!”
With all that running around with friends in the summer, you quickly get hungry. “My very, very favorite was the chicken sandwich with barbeque sauce and salted fries,” Iyahnna shared. These delicious meals fuel the campers all summer long and keep them excited to come back. Food and safety are paramount to providing an experience the campers will remember for all the best reasons.
The YMCA Seven Council Fires has been running camps for over five decades, and it shows. The role of counselors and volunteers is to teach life skills through the character traits of Caring, Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, and traditional Lakota values. Iyahnna explained that “learning how to be nice, kind, generous, brave, and have wisdom” are the most important things. She says those are values she is already employing daily in her school life.
Iyahnna noted her cabin had eight campers with one counselor who turned them into a family. She quickly chose her cabin counselor as her favorite staff member. “I looked up most to Eva,” she said. “Her job was to take care of us and make sure we go to bed. She helped me a lot with my problems.”
Summer camp is an experience that builds you. To ensure this year's campers have every chance at an amazing time, we need your help equipping them for their adventure. Sleeping bags, swimming goggles, laundry bags, and hygiene products, among many other things, are needed to ensure everything goes right for these kids.
You can donate items directly for campers using this Amazon Wishlist Link or support One Spirit directly for us to purchase those items locally.
The first camp takes place this weekend for over 60 kids. Children will be shuttled to camp Marrowbone in waves until the end of July. We need your support to supply the necessary equipment to make all these campers happy campers.
