Journal Entry – Day 37, Tuesday 09/22/09 Josh Boyer

We started out a little earlier than usual today. We did because we had to make sure we got to the YMCA Storer Camp at noon. We arrived there around an hour early. As a group we were excited and wild up from the van rides there. Nancy who was the head supervisor there met with us and got us under way. During the day there we individually picked from a variety a classes that camp councilors taught to the kid campers that were there. We could choose form the climbing tower, horse sense, canoeing, teams course, fire quest and more. We got to see how they run these classes and pretty much how the camp was run on a daily basis during that time. We all ate dinner, and by the way there food was great! We participated in the Underground Railroad program that they put on for the kids. Staff members dressed up as a sheriff, a partitioner, a runaway slave, and a few people who were slave owners back in the day during the slavery era. The kids split up into their cabin groups and a couple of us went in each group. The kids had to pretend that they were runaway slaves, but if anyone stopped us we had to say that we were slaves traveling as a singing quire. We could also only answer “yes sir” or “no sir”. It was a very serious time and to get that point across the kids couldn’t laugh or talk loudly. I was with the kids as we were doing it and I thought it was pretty realistic. We were getting yelled at and being told how great workers we looked and we were getting sold $500 a head to slave owners. I know if I was a kid I would’ve thought that this was very realistic and kind of scary. I know it really got the kid’s attention and they really felt how it was to be a slave back in the day. I am very pleased we went to the YMCA Storer Camp and met all the nice people that were there. It did help me realize that there were people who were trying to make a difference in children’s lives, and it’s especially hard to do that these days.