Waynesville’s Base Camp now offered on the go

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Waynesville’s Base Camp now offered on the go

A camp counselor assists kids during a stream crossing. Donated photo

In the four years since they first launched, Waynesville’s Base Camp summer programs — day camps packed full of outdoor adventure and environmental education — have quickly risen in popularity, selling out in hours, months ahead of when the camps begin.

But many Haywood County kids will never be among the lucky few who score one of those coveted Base Camp spots — because it costs too much, because their parents can’t transport them too and from, or for any number of other reasons.

That’s why Tim Petrea, program supervisor for Waynesville Parks and Recreation and architect of the Base Camp initiative, is now designing a new program — Base Camp on the Go, a mobile offering that will travel the county, providing free adventure and environmental education activities in communities from Fines Creek to Lake Junaluska.

“It gives kids who otherwise don’t have a lot of self-confidence to participate in things that are outdoors lifetime sports experience,” said Petrea. “It gives them a greater self-awareness, and hopefully they’ll end up doing better in school because they’ve received a better self-awareness through doing stuff like this.”

The plan is to offer the camps at least four days per week, two hours at a time, in communities throughout Haywood County. Base Camp on the Go will be open to kids in preschool through eighth grade and include obstacle courses, hikes, disc golf, biking, environmental education and more. In most cases, adults will be required to stay on-site during the activities, with opportunities for parental involvement available. When summer ends, Petrea hopes to use the Base Camp on the Go setup to provide activities at various Haywood County schools as well.

Getting Base Camp on the Go off the ground will require more than just motivation and a good idea, however. Petrea will need a paneled truck full of equipment, a fulltime person to plan and conduct activities, and a few part-timers to help out with events. He says he’ll need about $75,000 to get it started, with a goal budget of $150,000 per year to cover expenses and some “wish list” items.

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The Town of Waynesville can’t afford to foot that bill, so Petrea is calling in help from the community. Most notably, the Haywood Healthcare Foundation has made Base Camp on the Go its fundraising initiative for 2018.

“We really believe this Base Camp on the Go addresses a lot of issues of building self-esteem, helping children fight diabetes,” said Susan Anderson, executive director of the foundation. “Some of these children have never had an opportunity to go to summer camp, and we’re actually bringing day camp to them, to their community areas.”

During its casino night fundraiser in March, the foundation raised $7,500 for the program, with a golf tournament coming up June 27 and 28 in Waynesville and Maggie Valley set to increase that figure. Folks who want to help but can’t attend the events in question can also send a check directly to the Haywood Healthcare Foundation headquarters.

Getting the camp off the ground will require plenty of one-time equipment-related expenses, but there will be ongoing costs as well, such as salaries and fuel. Anderson said that the foundation chooses its initiatives annually, so the likelihood of future support for base camp will depend on board members’ preference and the program’s success — how many kids turn out, how many donors step up and what sort of feedback comes out of the experience.

“I think a lot of it depends on how it is received by the community,” said Anderson.

In addition to support from the Haywood Healthcare Foundation, Base Camp on the Go will receive funding from Waynesville and Haywood County, and Petrea is seeking grants to pay for as many costs as possible.

But the wheels are in motion for Base Camp on the Go to make its debut soon. Petrea expects to have the truck purchased in two weeks, after which it will get a Base Camp on the Go wrap. A new fulltime staffer assigned to manage the program will start the second week in May and begin developing more specific plans. The goal is to launch Base Camp on the Go by the third week in June.

For Petrea, a town employee since February 2013, that’s progress to be proud of. He was hired to expand the town’s outdoor recreation offerings and by all accounts has delivered, establishing the successful Base Camp series as well as a calendar of outdoor excursions year-round. Bringing these outdoor experiences to the doorsteps of Haywood County’s outlying communities is a natural next step in the mission to bring the benefits of outdoor recreation to all who call these mountains home.

“It’s been a great journey,” said Petrea. “Being able to envision some of these things and follow through with the vision, that’s been encouraging. It really makes me want to do more as far as taking it deeper. I feel like we’ve come a long way with the process, but I also feel like there’s still so much more that we can do.”

Get involved

Help is needed to make a go of Base Camp on the Go, with a pair of community leadership meetings planned for 5:30 p.m. May 14 and May 29 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Anybody interested in supporting the program is encouraged to attend.

Tim Petrea, 828.456.2030 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Golf for Go Camp

The 2018 Golf and Gala will raise money for Base Camp on the Go, June 27-28.

The event will begin June 27 with an 8 a.m. men’s shotgun and 1 p.m. ladies’ shotgun at the Maggie Valley Club, continuing June 28 with men’s shotgun events at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa. A gala will follow 6 to 10 p.m. featuring music, dancing and food.

For more information visit www.haywoodhealthcarefoundation.org or call 828.452.8343.

Those who would like to donate to Base Camp on the Go but don’t plan to attend the event can mail a check to 262 Leroy George Drive, Clyde, NC 2872, made out to the Haywood Healthcare Foundation with a memo line noting that funds are for Base Camp on the Go.

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