Camper featured in Hole in the Wall Gang video

If you’ve been a long-time follower of our 33 years of camp adventures, you may remember Ross Gipson, a camper from Carthage, Missouri who first went with us in the summer of 1994. All of the Kansas City campers are, of course, exceptional but Ross made a very special impression on all that met him. He was invited back to participate in the camp’s huge fall fundraiser two times, once to accompany Willie Nelson on stage. Another time he sang Imagine and brought the crowd to their feet. In addition to his musical talents he is artistic and writes amazing poetry. For years after he was too old to attend as a camper, he went back to volunteer a session each summer. When he entered law school, it became difficult to find the time to volunteer but he remained a legend at camp and a friend to all who knew him. So two years ago he was invited back to that fall fundraiser where he had made such an impression as a camper – but this time he was asked to talk about what being a camper had meant to him. His eloquent words again brought the crowd to their feet and his mantra of “never stop climbing” was used as the camp theme in the summer of 2014. His presentation was so moving that they made Ross the focus of one of their Healing Feeling videos, a series of inspiring productions that feature exceptional campers like Ross. We’re excited for you to view it here. Ross has made us proud.