Week Three: Our Foundation

Song of the Week: If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out by Cat Stevens

Mission Statement: Camp Yona provides an exciting, safe place for young girls of all backgrounds, religions and income levels to discover the wonders of being self-efficient and self-assured. Through a wide assortment of traditional summer camp activities and distinctive specialty programs, we instill in campers a sense of the importance of integrating resilience and empowerment into their lives; while striving to provide parents and guardians with a valuable summer experience for their daughters that will have lasting results.

Our desire is to:

Enrich girl's lives through experiences that challenge them.

Empower girls to be strong, confident, resilient women that believe in themselves.

Encourage girls to be who they are and follow their dreams.

Enable parents and their daughters to better communicate with each other.

We Believe:

~ that strength is found in resilience and self-esteem

~ that every girl is "her sister's keeper"

~ that kindness and forgiveness are power

~ that God made your daughter with advantages

~ in the right to say "no" and make healthy choices

~ in the right to say "yes" and celebrate decisions

~ in the common decency of mutual respect

~ in the valor of womanhood

~ in the right for girls to be whatever they choose

~ that girls around the world are connected in the common struggle for respect and voice

Our Traditional Camp Activities are designed not only to be fun, but also challenging.

These activities include: Horseback Riding, High/Low Ropes Course, Arts and Crafts, Backpacking and Canoe Trips, Photography/Film Development, Whitewater Rafting Trips, Wake Boarding/Water Skiing, Sailing, Dance/Theater, Survival School, Fly-Fishing, Swimming/Blobbing, Mountain Biking, Go-Carting, Archery, Team Sports, Golf

Our Enrichment Activities are designed to give girls real world experiences that will help build their confidence. These include: Gourmet Cooking, Self-Defense/Boxing, Fitness/Nutrition, Shop/Mechanics, Fire Arms Safety, Dog Training, Formal Dining

This is another shot of the stacks of concrete that currently occupy about an acre of the property. We'll use some of the concrete as foundations for our roads, buildings, and go-cart track.

While our desire is for girls to have fun and challenging experiences, safety is a top priority. We are in the process of becoming an ACA accredited camp. For more information please visit the American Camping Association Website www.acacamps.org.

Week Two: Our Stories

Song of the Week: We've Only Just Begun by The Carpenters

Here are a few stories about who the faces of Yona are and how we met.

In 2004 Chris Price and Drew McIlreavy met on a mission trip to pour the foundation of a church in Belize. Drew, a new ROW staff member, and Chris, a ROW Trustee, continued to cross paths over the next four years. In 2008 they began to plan the foundation for a girls camp in Georgia.

While in Belize, Drew and Chris began to turn the mound of dirt pictured above, into a solid foundation- a task they will once again attempt to create their vision for Yona.

Camp Yona has a diverse and accomplished set of directors. Each of them have skill and a passion for our mission.

Pictured above is our Board of Directors: Chris Price, Mary Martin, Monica McGurk, Drew McIlreavy, Scott Colbert, Yaisha Harding, and Britt Boyd.

Rivers of the World (ROW) has been a common thread among many of the people creating the vision for Yona. Their President, Ben Mathes, has guided and encouraged Yona throughout the process. Yona will forever love and appreciate Ben and ROW for all they have done and will do in the future.

Pictured above is a symbol of ROW's bold and audacious personality.

The 126 acres that Yona now calls home, was purchased from The Powers and The Reynolds. Both families have been instrumental in developing the camp. Not only have they treated us like family, but helped to create our home away from home.

The house in the picture is the Saggus Place - an old farm house that sits on the property and will soon be the camp office.

Katie Malik is a Marketing Major from Mississippi State. She has a passion for kids and youth, and spent several summers as a youth ministry intern, and has also been involved with camps for many years.

The picture is of a photo album from a ROW trip to the Mamano River in Venezuela where Katie met Drew and soon after began helping with the camp.

Chris met Marisol in Nicaragura, while traveling with ROW. Overtime their friendship continued to blossom, and we happily celebrated their marriage this past December. We are so happy she is now part of the Yona family.

The clock was a gift from Marisol to Drew. It is a map of Nicaragua.

We are so blessed to have so many people willing to use their gifts to help us. Our volunteers are the driving force behind our efforts. We love and thank you all.

The map in this picture was created by the wonderful and talented Aleah Holland.

Week One: Our Mission

Songs of the Week: Dream by Priscilla Ahn

Wonder by Natalie Merchant