I love Rocky River Ranch. It was a place I could go and feel accepted for the person I was — not the person I was expected to be. When we passed under that arch, the playing field was leveled and I was free to be myself, or even to reinvent myself! If I could ride, if I could swim, if I could do crafts or even if my only talent was spitting watermelon seeds, I was accepted!

I loved performing on stage and modeling in the fashion show. I learned how to shoot a bow and arrow, and how to do synchronized swimming. I wrote a 'Snoopy' column for the newspaper. In fact, a lot of the things I loved then are things I still love today.

Another favorite camp memory that lives on is the camp songs. I have sung them to my kids when they were babies … and still sing to them to wake them up in the morning ("Good morning to You!"). Last summer my daughter went to camp for the first time (at age 6). She had a great time and is looking forward to going again this summer. She sings camp songs almost daily (I'm ready for her to learn a few new ones other than "Boom Boom, Ain't it Great to be Crazy?" and "I Wish I Were a Little Bar of Soap")!

I would definitely not be the person I am today without the experience of camp. I remember being 7 years old and so excited about my first camp experience. I don't think I slept the entire night before leaving. When I arrived at camp it was the most wonderful place I had ever seen. Rue was my first counselor and she took the time to show me around and introduced me to the other girls. I was scared at first, but it did not last long. By the end of the first night camp already felt like a second home. By the end of my first two weeks I did not want to leave. Rocky River was a part of my life forever. In the end what I took away from camp was friendship, love, respect and confidence.

I will forever remember Rocky River Ranch as the greatest place on earth! To this day I still remember the nine summers that I spent at Rocky River Ranch. I hope to have my children experience camp as I did so many years ago.

I had a wonderful experience of being a counselor at RRR 1960-61 and 1966-67. Those first 2 years I knew and loved both Mama Knolk and Jane. Later, I was there with Skeet and Sandy. I have great memories of all those special people and all the fun times at camp. I'm so glad the camp is still going strong!