Hi, I am Sofia and I am 12 years old and I will be 13 when I head off to camp. I am a 7th grader at Anansi Charter School here in Taos NM. I enjoy skiing and volunteering in my community as well as competing as a middle school and competitive cheerleader and have recently become involved with the local mountain bike club. I am an active Girl Scout and am currently working on NASA’s universe of learning a joint project with Harvard University. I will be presenting an exhibit at the Natural History Museum on exoplanets this June.

I have been given a spot at Camp Manito Wish in Wisconsin this summer. I normally go to girl scout camp here in NM however this year they will not be opening the camp that is close to me in Angel Fire. They will no longer be offering any horse programs nor will they be offering any new programming. I am ready for real leadership experiences to help prepare me as I ready myself for high school and beyond. This camp has been around for over 100 years providing leadership and camaraderie for girls. At camp, I will have access to horses, water sports, hiking, outdoor survival skills and so so much more. They have a unique approach to leadership training and I am thrilled about getting a spot this year. I am looking forward to forging lifelong friendships with the people I meet this summer. This camp is pretty expensive and we are asking for help to pay for this. I have started babysitting and will have some carwashes later this summer to help for this camp. I am asking for help paying for this camp because I know I won't be able to earn enough to pay for this camp myself. I really would like to go. I have applied for a camp scholarship and I got it! It only pays for half of the tuition and I still have more to go! I need to get some supplies and travel all the way to camp.

Here is what the camp says:

Manito-wish is a place where kids discover who they are and what they can become. All campers have a “trail” or wilderness trip which is designed to teach resiliency, empathy and optimism while learning technical camping skills and cultivating a sense of belonging. When campers aren’t on the trail, they live “unplugged” in a cabin with their peers and choose daily between program areas including target sports, horses and sailing. Through these intentional experiences campers grow in confidence, strengthen leadership skills and develop lifelong friendships.

Our 3-Week Session will provide time to take friendships to the next level. Initially, cabin groups will get to know each other while building their team, community, and support systems… in other words, their camp family!

They will learn how to work together with disparate styles and personalities, and they will become skilled at how to communicate when they are being challenged, empowered, and encouraged to grow, laugh, and learn together.

Campers will figure out how to support each other through challenges, celebrate the success of others and engage in conversations. So that when campers return home they’ll be better equipped with life-skills of making friends, being empathetic and showing compassion!

Here is more about their mission: https://manito-wish.org/about-us/mission/

Because the camp is so far away I will need to either fly there or my mom will have to drive for 2 days to get me there and then go back 3 weeks later to pick me up. I also will need some new outdoor gear to survive in the wild for 3 weeks. All of the funds raised will be used to help me pay for tuition, buy camp supplies or help pay for camp tuition. If I collect more than I need for Camp I will be donating it to the campership fund at Manito-wish. Anything you can donate to help me would be very appreciated.

Thank you,

Sofia

(And Sofia's Mom)