"I think camp will be great for him to be around good Christian male role models."

A teenage boy came on a youth group retreat here last fall and came home different. He asked his mom if he could come back for summer camp. Things were tight, but she reached out and applied for a scholarship, trusting that God would make a way for her son to be here.

"She was changed that week. I know it helped her confidence and connection with God."

A teenage girl attended last summer and spent the whole year looking forward to coming back. Her mom applied for a scholarship this spring. The way she wrote about her daughter made it clear: she'd seen something real, and she wanted more of it for her kid.

"He doesn't want to leave or explore because he is scared, but once he is there, he loves it. I want him to know something other than being at home."

A boy who has never been to camp. His mom, a solo parent and teacher, decided this summer her son was going to have a first. She applied for a scholarship and is trusting God with the rest.

"She said it was the best week of the summer."

She says it every year. A returning camper whose mom finds a way to make it work because she knows exactly what a week at Dickson Valley does for her daughter. Camp is the thing her daughter asks about all year long.