Founded in 1897 as an effort to give children in Cambridge a chance to spend the summer in the countryside, Cambridge Camping began to run its own summer day camps in 1969. Many Cambridge children were part of Cambridge Camping camps over the years, including MA Representative Marjorie Decker and New York Times White House correspondent Zolan Kanno-Youngs. We recently talked with three camp alumni about their Cambridge Camping memories in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Shakeela Darden was seven years old when she started as a camper at Cambridge Adventure Day Camp (CADC) in the late 90s. Her mom was looking for an affordable camp option and had heard good things about CADC from a friend. She was a little taken aback when she learned that CADC held camp under the Harvard Stadium but she decided to go ahead and take a chance. Shakeela loved it. So much so that Shakeela eagerly returned to CADC every summer– first as a camper, then a counselor-in-training, and then a lead counselor. In 2018-19, Shakeela served as a member of the board of directors. 

Shakeela found her confidence at camp in a way that school or afterschool programs had never given her. “I hated school. I wasn’t good at it…but everything we did at camp I felt like I excelled at. …It was such a good, happy feeling.”

She remembers that CADC was one of the first places she felt sad to leave at the end of the day. “The counselors used to have to literally be like, ‘Come on, time to get on the bus!’ It was a place that felt like home. It was our home. And we knew that we had a safe place to go to.”

Shakeela now works as a Financial Empowerment Director at CEOC in Central Square, Cambridge, and continues to be an important liaison for Cambridge Camping today.

Former CADC camper and current Cambridge Camping board director Carmelle Philippe first came to camp in 2001, joining cousins who were already campers. Having recently moved to the United States from Haiti, she didn’t speak any English. But at camp, connection began before words.

“That’s the beauty of play. I didn’t understand what my peers were saying, and they didn’t understand me, but we could still play together. Play was our first shared language. Through it, I felt love and belonging.”

Campers and counselors helped her learn to swim, invited her into their groups, and encouraged her to take part. “They didn’t even know my name or understand what I was saying, but they knew they didn’t want me just sitting there. CADC was literally building beautiful humans without even knowing it.”

The friendships she formed at camp have lasted decades. “I came to America with no friends, but through camp, I found friendships that would last a lifetime. My first friends were my camp friends. To this day, they’re still my friends. Six of them are literally like my sisters.”

Her experiences as a camper and later as a camp counselor also helped her discover a passion for working with children. “I apply the leadership skills I practiced at camp every day. They have been the foundation for my success as an educator.”

For Carmelle, camp was more than a summer experience. “Camp felt like home. Cambridge Camping will always have a special place in my heart.”

Carmelle has spent most of her career as a special educator and in school leadership roles in Cambridge and the Washington, D.C., area.

Daniel Michaud Weinstock began working as a counselor at camp in 1992 when CADC was still known as Inner City Day Camp. He was a counselor for many years and eventually became the CADC Camp Director in 1997. 

When asked why he was returned to camp summer after summer, Daniel said, “The sense of community.” CADC was a place “where kids who were part of the program, where families who were connected to the program, and staff who were committed to it all felt such a deep sense of belonging and shared purpose.” He added, “And it felt to me, in a way, like coming home every summer.”

Celebrations at camp were important. Daniel remembered his favorite traditions included the all-camp beach day, carnival, and talent show at the end of the summer. Campers were encouraged to show up as they were, Daniel noted, and counselors were encouraged to meet kids where they were at—recognizing the unique contributions they each brought. “We were helping create together an experience that for many of the kids and families that were a part of it, and even many of the staff, was not something they would have experienced elsewhere.” 

Both Shakeela and Carmelle were young campers when Daniel was the CADC Program Director. Shakeela remembered how Daniel knew every camper individually and took time to form bonds and even create special handshakes with them. “He really cared about us.”

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Join us at the finish line on the intersection of First and Thorndike St. to cheer on Benny and Shakiem as they finish the Cambridgeside 5K.