Amy Loeber

The impact that one moment can have on the rest of your life is astounding. In January of 2023, in the midst of a massively transitional phase of life, I often found myself seeking the big “what’s next”. Out of the blue, the opportunity to revive Camp Bob was presented to Dom and me by my dad who was a lifelong volunteer in its pre-pandemic years. Without hesitation, we jumped at the chance to breathe new life into such an amazing program and mission. Having both grown up shaped by our summer camp experiences, the eagerness to pay forward all of the magical moments of personal growth, joy, laughter, found family, resilience, connection with nature, and lifelong lessons was overwhelming. This was the “what’s next” that my soul was yearning for, and while we had no idea how we were going to make it happen in that moment, an un-snuffable flame of determination was lit in us both. Little did we know then that all of the hard work, sleepless nights, love, dedication, blood, sweat, and tears our team would pour into creating this brief moment in time for our campers would be reciprocated tenfold. That was the feeling leaving the mountains after our first year of camp that has kept me and so many members of our camp family so excited to come back year after year, the wonder of pouring out your cup completely just to have it filled to the point of overflow in return.

I have the honor of traveling up from Jacksonville, FL alongside Dom to co-lead this group each year, but I also have the opportunity to approach this work with the added layer of gratitude that I get to serve my home community. Being born and raised in Charlotte, NC and having the privilege of attending summer camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I was able to interact with so many outstanding role models, Jim Bob and Nancy Wilson, the previous directors of my childhood camp, Camp Wayfarer, being at the forefront of people I wanted to emulate in my adult life. The joyous, silly, empowering, welcoming, and enriching, community they created set the bar unfathomably high. Now, being at the very early stages of the same work, I continue to utilize the core memories they created as inspiration for what we can offer the next generation. 

Camp provides such a unique setting for rapid and intensive reflection and connection that I believe every child has the intrinsic right to experience. When thrust into a new community that you’ll spend 24 hours a day with for a whole week, unplugged and untethered from the business and chaos of everyday life, cradled by the tall trees and mountain air, a miraculous series of events begins to unfold for everyone present. With no distractions, unbreakable bonds are formed, brand new challenges and opportunities for growth present themselves, interpersonal skills grow, and the confidence to adopt the most authentic version of yourself blossoms. Even more jarring, is when you look around and notice that all of your peers are navigating the same breakthroughs in their own ways. Everyone quietly contributes to this natural progression of self and collective betterment, instinctively adding their own unique sparkle to the energy of the whole. 

One of my favorite aspects of camp to witness is watching this metamorphosis unfold on an individual basis. As a leader, the campers who arrive with the most noticeable unease are my go to gauge of the environment that we facilitate. What overflows my cup is observing without fail, the vast majority of campers that come to us on day one very much so still tucked into their cocoons, saying their goodbyes on the final day with their wings on full display. Whether it’s reaching the top of the rock wall, making a new friend, deciding to hit the dancefloor rather than watch from the sidelines, screaming favorite camp songs, learning how to navigate conflicts in new ways, picking up new positive habits, experiencing the joy of being a welcoming leader for new or younger campers, or just discovering what it means to be a valued part of a group, there are so many small moments where we get to watch campers wiggle a little further out of their cocoons. All of this is to say that the shared experience between campers, volunteers, counselors, and leadership is that we leave camp changed for the better, rooted in love, and confident in who we are and what we have to offer as we venture back out into this big beautiful world. 

The opportunity to lead and facilitate Camp Bob for the Queen City for almost half a decade is a gift I could never truly express the gravity of, and while we are still very young as an organization, we have big dreams for the many years to come. 23-year-old me could never have imagined the impact my team would have on the next generation, the drops in the ocean and the waves that will come from these seemingly small moments. More than that though, I never could have imagined the impact that this opportunity would have on my soul. The family we’ve built, the challenges we have overcome, the beauty we’ve created, and the trust that this community continues to put into Dom and me have given me true purpose and a renewed profound appreciation for what life has to offer when a group of individuals turns their collective focus outward with the shared goal of spreading goodness.

-Amy Loeber, 2026