It Takes a village
Common Ground
The mission of Camp Grier is to provide opportunities for connection, service, celebration, and renewal in nature. We talk a lot at camp about "common ground" or places and things that we all share as part of humanity. The outdoors provides vital "common ground" that we all need for our physical, psychological, emotional, and social health and it also provides one of the last "common" spaces that we all share. Kids today spend on average between 4 and 7 minutes outside in unstructured play each day. At the same time our neighborhoods, churches, and schools are more segregated than ever. We like to say that, "no matter where you're from it's not like camp
​
Our outdoor outreach program began in 1972, the same year the US Supreme Court voted that busing was an appropriate strategy to ensure that schools would be property integrated and that all students would receive equal educational opportunities regardless of race. Just as all kids deserve equal educational opportunities, we believe that all children deserve equal access to the outdoors. First Presbyterian Church Charlotte began a scholarship program in 1972 that launched what has become the Streets to Peaks initiative. This program is celebrating its 50 year anniversary in 2022. What began as a program at one church is today a national movement to make the outdoors equitable and available to all.
The market rate for a week of camp is approximately $1,500. We believe it is our responsibility to remove as many barriers to the outdoors as possible and make outdoor experiences available to ALL. We are grateful to our supporters, program partners, and outdoor community who invest time, money, and energy toward ensuring our children are connected to nature.
You can support our Outdoors for All Campaign in several ways as an individual, congregation or organization. Camp Grier has three active funds that all function to improve outdoor access and outdoor experiences for our youth.
Each year more than 100 children attended Camp Grier on a full scholarship. Hundreds more are able to attend at a price that is half of other programs. We are grateful to all our supporters and partners who help make the gift of nature and outdoor adventure available to all kids and families.
How To Support
You can support our programs in several ways as an individual, congregation or organization. Camp Grier has four active funds that all function to improve outdoor access and the outdoor experiences for our youth.
The Capital Fund is used to improve the infrastructure of camp. Examples of projects include building renovations, trail development, equipment purchases, and new construction projects.
The Outdoor Equity Fund is focused on supporting the general operating budget of camp throughout the year as well as our Streets to Peaks Program which is a year around initiative in Asheville and Charlotte that helps make the outdoors available to youth with limited access to wilderness adventures.
The Scholarship Fund helps provide full and partial scholarship to deserving families from across the region each summer. Last year over 100 young people received a full or partial scholarship to attend camp.