Rocky River Ranch Summer Camp

RRR gives young women the chance to excel in areas where they may not have ever had a chance to before … and an opportunity to gain self esteem and confidence. These are such amazing and important gifts that will stay with campers their entire lives. This is why RRR will forever be a "home" to its campers. A place where they feel accepted, and loved and special.

I love Rocky River Ranch. It was a place I could go and feel accepted for the person I was — not the person I was expected to be. When we passed under that arch, the playing field was leveled and I was free to be myself, or even to reinvent myself! If I could ride, if I could swim, if I could do crafts or even if my only talent was spitting watermelon seeds, I was accepted!

The truth is I would not have become the person I am today without RRR! Making decisions for classes at 7 years old (with the help of a big sister and Rue as my counselor), remembering to wear your bathing suit under your jeans so you could go from the barn to the pool without the dreaded trip back to your cabin, remembering not to sign up for your pool class right before horseback … I could go on and on. The mistakes we made there were safe and there was a support system to catch you if you fell. Later I enjoyed working with the campers younger than me. First in WE as a big sister myself and later as a CIT Mom. In 14 years I grew and strengthened my commitment to myself. I felt loved unconditionally and I formed everlasting friendships. Some of them recently re-kindled after a 15-20 year gap as if no time had passed at all. In the last year I received a letter from a former CIT that spoke of my influence on her life. How it made her a better mother and a better woman. I have saved that letter for my children to read one day. I will always feel like Skeet and Sandy helped raise me and they always saw the person I could be! I can never thank them enough for that.

My years at Rocky River were some of the most wonderful times in my life. My sister (Laura) and I still spend hours talking about our fun times there. We still remember our days of swimming in the river, riding horses and water skiing. I can't wait until my little girl can experience all the joy and fun I had as a child for herself.

I honestly believe that I wouldn't be the same person if not for my many years at Rocky River, and each year that passes makes me more aware of the grace I found here and the gift of the chance to become one of the few ... a Rocky River girl. To the land of the triple R, I pledge my heart to you!

Picture a Spot … My years at Rocky River mean more to me than can be written down in a little note. There's probably not a day that goes by that I don't think about an experience, a laugh, a friendship, a struggle, a success, etc. that I experienced at camp. I love that I can go back and find the same "safe haven" that I experienced as a 7-year-old girl in Circle B through several years as a Counselor! Driving across that cattle guard at the front gate, my heart beat calms to a familiar and comforting beat again, like nothing else I've experienced.