Growing Together: Revitalizing Lake Valley Camp's Garden Program
In 2014, the Lake Valley Camp Garden Program was recognized by the American Camp Association with an award for Program Excellence. The award winning program wasn’t just a garden, it was a combination of the classroom and kitchen experience while also providing leadership opportunities.
Historically, garden programs are known to be challenging to sustain due to time, energy, and resources. PEAK’s Assistant Director of Camp Programs and Lake Valley Camp alumna, Lucero Serna, inherited a garden program that was much smaller than what she experienced as a young camper. Having experienced the program at its peak, Lucero hoped to return it to what it once was. “I think it was an incredibly impactful program when it first started,” said Lucero. “It is a space that offers a lot of opportunities for our Leaders in Training to grow. A lot of the soft skills that we hope that they pick up with us can be delivered at the garden.”
Her work started when she planted a few seeds during her first spring as Assistant Director, but it quickly became a much bigger project. Lucero wasn’t just planning a program, she was also teaching herself how to take care of a garden, something much bigger than anything she had done before. Opportunely, she was able to reestablish a relationship with Sara Tedeschi. Sara was a pivotal Lake Valley Camp staff member who ran the garden in 2014 and has been serving in a volunteer capacity since 2017. Lucero saw the immense value in Sara’s expertise, as well as the importance of building relationships with the local community members in Boscobel who could also assist in sustaining the garden. In 2023, Sara returned to PEAK and Lake Valley Camp as our Garden Consultant, who now supported the program by ordering supplies, planting, training staff, and developing curriculum.
The intentional time, love, and planning poured into the Garden Program has reestablished it as part of the extraordinary Lake Valley Camp experience. “There are all kinds of opportunities for hands-on learning and experiences for all different kinds of people and what they might need,” said Eve Smallwood, Director of Lake Valley Camp. “Whether it’s caring for plants, learning how to cook, being connected to the natural world, or just having a peaceful place to go. It’s just a really unique opportunity.” With the garden flourishing, our staff partnership growing, and our participants reengaged in the program, the only thing left to do is win back the award for Program Excellence from the American Camp Association!
