The BYM Camps Family Newsletter
April 10, 2026

What you'll find below:

This Tuesday, April 14th from 6-7pm we will have our first virtual  Shiloh and Opequon Camp Meet-and-Greet for new families. Here is the Zoom Link for April 14 at 6pm  We’ll have a few families and a few staff folks on hand to ask and answer questions.  If the group is big enough, we will do a break-out room for each camp!

On Sunday, April 19th we will have our first Catoctin Meet-and-Greet as well, from 3-4pm.  Here’s the Zoom link for April 19 at 3pm!

At each meet and greet, we’ll have a few families and a few staff folks on hand to ask and answer questions.  The meeting is scheduled for 1 hour.

If you cannot make either of these, please stay tuned– we’ll do more in later April and May!

If you are interested in hosting an IN-PERSON event for new families at BYM Camps, or attending future events like this – please fill out this form! 

We are excited to introduce Catoctin’s new Co-Director– Basil Bergman – aka Lisa Bergman (they/them), who goes by Basil (Lisa B backwards) in the world of Camp. As a lifelong camp enthusiast and a social justice advocate, they were drawn to a job posting for Catoctin, which they say already holds a special place in their heart.  Out of a strong applicant pool, Basil’s varied and substantial experiences at summer camps, along with their passion for the JEDI (Justice, Equity and Inclusion) work at Catoctin were what led the hiring committee to offer them this role.

Basil attended their first summer camp at the age of eight, and found it to be a magical place where difference and social awkwardness were embraced. They have always loved being outdoors, and most of their hobbies today were initially fostered at camp: gardening, camping, hiking, biking, and reading in a hammock. As a teen who grew up on a farm in rural Ohio, they eventually made it to a leadership camp for teenagers that changed their entire perspective when they met peers from all over the globe. That camp, focused on human rights and social justice issues, inspired Basil to study abroad and they have now lived abroad in five countries and traveled to over 30. 

With degrees in Math and Computer Science, Basil joined the Peace Corps in Lesotho and Peace Corps Response in Malawi, where they worked with secondary schools to train mathematics teachers and coordinate youth development work like starting chess clubs and devloping a leadership camp. Most recently, Basil was the camp director at Rainbow Camp in Ontario, a camp focused on supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, and completed an MS in Kinesiology and Recreation.  With over 10 years of experience working at a variety of camps in many different leadership roles, Basil is very excited about the ethics and practices at Catoctin Quaker Camp.  Although they love and have learned a lot about marshmallow roasting and tent-pitching at camp, what they are most passionate about is creating inclusive spaces for youths of all stripes at camp. 

They’ve already begun working with other directors at the annual Directors’ Retreat, as well as starting the hiring and summer prep work with Dyresha, their new Co-Director.

Please give them a warm welcome at Catoctin this summer!

 

Camper families should have received an email recently with a packing list to help you prepare for camp this summer. If you missed our email, you can find those lists here:

 

Opequon Packing List 2026

Catoctin Packing List 2026

Shiloh Packing List 2026

Teen Adventure Packing List 2026

There is still room for a few more campers at some of our sessions this summer. You can receive a credit toward your camper’s tuition by referring a new-to-BYM-Camps family and helping us fill camp this summer. Use this form if you recruit someone new to ANY of our camps between today and the end of registration!