Heads Up! Hartford 2023

After breakfast each day, the camp breaks into teams and heads to nonprofit destinations in and around the city of Hartford: CRT Day Care Centers, elderly and disabled housing centers, FoodShare, and The Village for Children and Families, among others.

Upon returning to our camp facilities, the youth enjoy free time to unwind and get to know the other campers better. The campers then sit down together and enjoy dinner together. Each evening involves either an educational program related to social emotional learning or a leisure activity (talent show, basketball tournament, all-camp games). Time is made for each of the work teams to debrief their day and each day closes with a gathering of all campers, which includes stories of the day and slides of each of the teams’ work sites. 

On the weekend, campers fan out to grocery stores to conduct food drives for local food banks. They engage in team-building activities and games, and each team builds a picnic table or bench that is donated to a local charitable organization. 

The final day is an excursion to a local state park. That night, members of the community and families are invited to our closing ceremony.

Campers must have completed 8th grade and can attend as campers up through the summer after their high school graduation.

Each team of 8-10 campers is led by an adult and a college-aged counselor. In addition, there are numerous volunteers who assist with patrolling the grounds, distributing snacks, and keeping the camp running smoothly. 

Overnight, professional security staff are on-site. A nurse is at camp each day. Two camp directors are on site to coordinate the staff and all programs.