Page 6 - Fall 2020 CMTA Report

CAMP FOOTPRINT star named for Camp Foot-
(continued from page 5) print, then arranged for the
Hubble Telescope to focus
allowed campers to see into each on it and show the kids
other’s homes, which were set up online. And the father
with specially decorated “forts” of an Egyptian camper
around their computers. This whose Camp in a Box was
enabled them to show and tell returned to sender recreated
each other about their families, the entire kit for his son, complete
pets and musical instruments. with giant foam foot.
Being in their own homes also Campers and counselors— 2020 marked
made campers more comfortable both first-timers and old hands—
and more willing to open up, he praised the online iteration of Camp Footprint’s
said. On a logistical level, transi- Camp Footprint. First-time 5th Anniversary
tioning between activities only camper Emmily Stufflet, 16, says
took 20 seconds online, Jonah she went into the week feeling
said, compared to the 20 minutes nervous and anxious, but after was devastated when she first
it takes IRL. her first full day she “couldn’t help heard that Camp Footprint was
Parents also played a greater but cry tears of pure joy.” In the going online: “The week I spent
role this year, Berger said, hurling first day, she “met new friends, in Pittsburgh last summer was the
chalk in the powder battle, slow heard new stories, and knew best of my entire life. I met the
dancing with their kids at the INSTANTLY what the Tribe most incredible people and was
dance and even pranking their of the Funky Feet is all about ... empowered beyond words.” But
unsuspecting campers. Two love.” virtual camp didn’t disappoint, she
parents went above and beyond: Returning camper Elisheva said: “The magic was still there.”
One, a NASA employee, had a Landau-Pope, 18, said that she Checking in with the entire
camp each morning “felt like
breakfast in the dining room in
Kon-O-Kwee, with Jonah greeting
everyone individually” she said,
and the daily broadcast from the
Youth Council always brought
laughter and instantly set the day
up to be filled with positivity and
smiles.
“Talking to other people my
age with CMT is an opportunity
I never had before camp, and it’s
helped me accept having CMT and
be much more open about it with
others,” she said, adding, “Although
we weren’t together in person, see-
ing everyone’s smiling faces on the
screen reminded me how grateful
I am to have such a wonderful,
supportive community.”
First-time counselor Cara
Leith, 26, the only person in her

CAMP SPIRIT
Left: Liam Perry, 12, unpacked
his camp shirt in New York.
COLOR BATTLE! Right: Counselors Cassidy Miller,
Hannah Roberts and Erin Black
held a powder battle together in Ohio.
6 THE CMTA REPORT FALL 2020