Another Successful Week of Spitfire Summer Camp!

602 books. A tug-of-war battle for the ages. And a ton of silly string.

Those are some of the highlights of our third annual Spitfire Summer Camp. But if you asked me what made this year’s camp so special, I would tell you about these little moments:

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A new friendship 💕 Two girls from different sides of town met for the first time at camp and by the end of the week, they were inseparable -- holding hands as they ran from one activity to the next. Watching bridges go up across grades, neighborhoods, and between counselors from different schools always serves as a reminder -- Spitfire is a powerful tie that binds!

Las Abuelitas 👵🏽👵🏽 One act in our talent show included two campers dressed as great-grandmothers, complete with canes and plenty of attitude. Their skit included the immortal lines, “Give me my coffee now!” and “You need to go to church!” It was hilarious, deeply committed, and absolutely stole the show. These girls basically stayed in character for the duration of the week.

Campers vs. Counselors 💪 Every year, our campers challenge our youth counselors to a tug-of-war battle. This year, the campers won. And then they won... again. Watching our elementary-aged Spitfires celebrate their victory -- and our teen counselors cheer them on -- was pretty perfect.

602 books 📚 Our goal was for campers to read 250 books during our week together. That turned out to be a modest goal, with our weekly reading total capping off at 602 books! To celebrate, campers got to silly-string camp directors Leslie and me. Getting covered in silly string by 38 triumphant readers is a pretty great way to end a week of camp (and it's also a definite improvement over the whipped cream week took to the face last year).

These are just a few stories, but they give you an idea of what Spitfire Camp is all about. Yes, we read a lot of books. But we also made friends, tried new things, got messy, laughed until our stomachs hurt, and practiced being curious, resilient, empathetic, authentic, and tenacious in true Spitfire style!

One motto we live by is "once a Spitfire, always a Spitfire." It was so amazing to be joined by 18 youth counselors -- many of them Spitfire alumni -- who returned to build their leadership and work experience while also helping create Spitfire magic for the next generation.

We come together around books, but we leave with so much more. And that’s what Spitfire is all about ❤️

A huge thank you to the Alexandria Kiwanis Club and Windmill Hill Design Build for making this year's camp possible and to Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill for graciously hosting us! Meals were generously provided by community restaurants The Cooper Mill, Junction Bakery & Bistro, and Los Tios Del Ray, whose support kept campers fueled for a busy week of reading, playing, and growing together.

Thank you also to the many members of our community who volunteered their time to serve lunch or set up, loaned their equipment, and/or shopped our wish list to make this year possible! Spitfire Club's staff is a team of just two, so it was all hands on deck and we couldn't have done it without you! Thank you!!