This year's Buddy Program DREAM Day Camp took place the week of July 30-August 3, and what a week we had! The days were packed with fun, challenging and educational activities throughout the Roaring Fork Valley for our participants, ages 10-13. New this year, the Buddy Program partnered with Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers to provide our youth with the opportunity to give back to their community by working on Difficult Trail, just east of Aspen. The camp participants learned about trail maintenance and tool safety and spent the afternoon creating dip water bars that will last for years to come! We also had the opportunity to visit Rock Bottom Ranch, where we learned all about the animals and farm life and even got to churn our own ice cream! As always, we also spent a day on the high ropes course at CMC Spring Valley where our youth had the choice to step outside of their comfort zone and, with the support of their peers, challenge themselves on elements high above the ground. These outings, combined with the activities at our home base at Basalt Middle School, made for an incredible week for the youth, many of them leaving with a greater sense of self, with new tools to practice leadership as well as working in a team, and a greater appreciation for their community at large.

The special week would not have been possible without the partnerships and generosity of local organizations and individuals, and the Buddy Program would like to specifically thank Hannah Lippe from RFOV, Dan Van Horn from Rock Bottom Ranch, and Morgan Bell from CMC for making our "field trips" safe, educational, eye-opening, and fun for our participants! A huge thank you is in order to John Speers and PJ Johnson at The Little Nell for providing free sack lunches for one day of camp, and to Buddy Program Board Member Alex Kendrick and Executive Director David Houggy for throwing us a BBQ to celebrate the end of a wonderful week. The 2012 DREAM Day Camp was a true testament to the community coming together to create a memorable experience and a strong foundation for our Valley's youth!