July 2026: Summer Nature Day Camp Volunteers

July 2026

By Kat Resanovich, Volunteer Coordinator & Educator

If you’ve visited the Preserve recently, you’ve probably heard the sound of excited summer camp groups wandering through the woods and exploring. Summers at Baltimore Woods are spent with groups of children splashing in streams, building forts, and searching for creatures. Each year, we have 8 weeks of camp, made possible by over 50 volunteers. From Teen Volunteers who are out with the camp groups every day, to the parking volunteers who make pickup and drop-off go smoothly every day, to the new set of volunteers who help with campfires on cookout days, volunteers are such an important part of our camps.

Our biggest group of summer camp volunteers is teen volunteers, or as we usually call them at camp, TVs. This year we have 39 TVs that have already done 1,125 hours of volunteering in the first 4 weeks of camp. TVs spend the whole week with a group out on the Preserve, helping them explore, keeping the group together, running activities, and so much more! The TV’s are such a huge part of the group that support the counselors and help the campers have an amazing summer. Most of the Teen Volunteers are former campers who wanted to help the current campers have a special summer experience just like they used too. I love hearing the TVs share their favorite camp spots with the campers, help them get into the swamp for the first time by talking about how much they love it, and showing them classic camp games like kick the can. Recently, two camp families shared a photo of two TVs, Simon and Elijah, who have been coming to camp since they were very young and now love coming back together as TVs. Being a TV is a tradition for many highschoolers and our staff loves seeing campers grow into TVs, who grow into leaders. We also have several TVs who have never been to Baltimore Woods Camp, but quite literally dive right into the mud, the games, and all the exploration. It’s so impressive to me that these new TVs are able to jump into this role and help campers while simultaneously learning all about camp.

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We also had a new group of volunteers to provide the counselors with some extra support on some of the busiest days of the week-cookout day. These cookout volunteers helped by getting a campfire going, tending it, and helping campers with cooking. This helps our counselors focus on the group and make sure all of the campers are ready to cook their food and have a good time. The campers love having these volunteers in their group because they make a fantastic roasting fire; but even more than the campers, the counselors love having these volunteers to help out. One returning counselor, Ann, said: “This is the best idea ever; I can’t believe we haven’t had these volunteers every year; they have been so great”.

There are also a lot of volunteers “behind the scenes” that help us make sure camp goes smoothly. Our Front Desk volunteers that welcome visitors to the Interpretive Center do a lot of work to support camp. When parents call with questions about camp, the front desk volunteers are often the first to answer. Despite never having been to camp, the volunteers do a great job of answering questions or directing them to a staff member who can help. Many of the front desk volunteers also helped with a lot of material preparation so that campers had fun crafts and activities. Our preschool groups especially do a lot of crafts, and volunteers helped cut dozens of masks for superhero week, turn toilet paper tubes into rainsticks for water week, and more! When we had a week that looked like there might be lots of storms forcing camp groups to come inside, one volunteer, Amy Hunger, helped prepare dozens of nature craft kits to keep groups occupied. The front desk volunteers often say these are small and easy things they are happy to do, but they have a big impact in helping counselors feel more supported and making magical moments for campers. We also have a large group of parking volunteers who help out during drop-off and pick-up to make sure that campers are ready to be dropped off, get to their group safely, and that it goes quickly.

 

 When parents drop off at camp on the first day, they are greeted by smiling faces in neon yellow parking vests. Many parents have commented on how impressed they are by how quick and smoothly the pickup and drop-off are; that’s in a large part to our volunteers. Our A-Team stewardship volunteers were also a huge part of getting the preserve ready for camp. In the weeks leading up to camp, they did a lot of property and site maintenance like mowing, cutting hazard trees, making fire rings, and much more. They also did projects that make the camp experience easier for our counselors and better for our campers, like setting up tents to keep them shady on cool days and constructing platforms for water jugs so we can have access to water bottle refills across the camp. Even as camp is running, they do a lot to support the program, like maintaining the foxes’ den play space, splitting firewood for campfires, and removing encroaching poison ivy from play spaces.

​Summer camp is such a busy but exciting time of discovery, play, and exploration for hundreds of children every year. Camp would not be possible without all of this support from many different volunteers who give their time to help so many campers have a memorable, safe, and fun summer with us. Thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped make this year’s summer camp possible!

Our volunteer community is one of the most special parts of our organization. Interested in becoming a part of our volunteer community or learning more about upcoming opportunities? Sign up here: Sign Me Up to Volunteer!