Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Legacy

A quick turn off Boonsboro Road in the middle of Lynchburg transports visitors into a verdant hidden oasis, a safe harbor that has expanded the horizons of local children for more than seven decades.

As Camp Kum-Ba-Yah celebrates its 75^th year serving the youngest generation of Central Virginia residents this week, a new leader at the helm is ready to honor the organization’s important past while looking to the future. Kyle Simpson joined the small staff at Camp Kum-Ba-Yah about five weeks ago as its executive director.

“As I’ve stepped into the role here, you very quickly realize how special this place is to so many people,” Simpson said as he walked around the camp on a recent weekday afternoon. “I think it’s hard to express the depth of meaning and the amount of love that goes into this place.”

Simpson was no stranger to the camp after he was first introduced two years ago on a field trip with his son. With a background in conservation and working with children, he was happy in his previous role but felt called to the organization as a place where he could more directly serve his community.

The new director spent his first few weeks getting more firmly acquainted with the organization and preparing for the summer season. Then, last week, he watched the quiet woods come alive.

“That was when you felt the heart of the thing,” Simpson said, smiling as he remembered the first day of camp. “And you know, a little kid comes up and holds your hand and asks you to come sing the camp closing song with him. That’s what we’re doing now.”

Established in 1950 by Rev. Bev Cosby as an outdoor refuge for local children to come play and be free, Camp Kum-Ba-Yah has expanded to 47 acres yet still lives its original mission – bringing out the best in all who delight in its simple riches while developing stronger, healthier, caring humans.

“When people feel supported, feel accepted, and allowed to be who they are, they can be kinder, gentler, more understanding with other, and they can share who they are unapologetically and show up in the world,” Simpson said. “So, for us, it’s making sure that everyone feels welcome here, and that this place is available for everyone.”

Around 100 campers attend day-long sessions at Camp Kum-Ba-Yah each week during the summer and engage in activities ranging from cooking lunch over a campfire to tie-dying in the pavilion and learning the ecology in the property’s small stream while observing water creatures. According to Simpson, about 40% of children receive financial aid, and noted the importance of access to all who want to immerse themselves in nature.

Simpson said one of the organization’s goals for the future is to broaden programming during the non-summer months and raise awareness about the property’s communal gathering spaces, which are available to rent. Camp Kum-Ba-Yah’s trails are open to the public when camp is not in session, on the weekends in the summer, and during the day from fall through spring.

“This is a place right here in the city for people to enjoy and appreciate that respite, that place of calm and quiet throughout the year to get away and escape,” Simpson said. “Another word we like to use a lot is belonging and community – it’s a place where people can feel welcome to be themselves and build those relationships that make you feel sustained, connected, and a part of something bigger than yourself.”

For more information about Camp Kum-Ba-Yah, visit www.campkumbayah.org.