25 years ago, guitar icon Ted Nugent set out on a selfless mission to get kids out of malls, off the streets, away from drugs and crime, into the woods and in touch with the natural healing powers of the wild. The goal of the Kamp is to teach children morals and ethics, and their role as caring humans that manage and respect the wildlife around us. From this desire to help others, the “Ted Nugent Kamp For Kids” was founded.
“I started our Kamp in 1989 with a simple goal-to introduce kids to the great outdoors,” says Nugent. “I made a promise to Fred Bear before he passed away that I would get kids involved. And here we are 25 years later.”
A recent Kamp session sold out in just six hours. Parents stayed up until midnight to begin registering their children online and by 6 a.m. on the first day, all 100 slots were gone. And the waiting list is almost as large.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Tim Moran of the Papillion, Nebraska Parks & Recreation. “We always start taking calls from parents literally months before registration – which is literally months before the actual event. By far, the ‘Ted Nugent Kamp For Kids’ is one of the most sought-after programs, by both parents and kids, of any youth event we’re involved with.”
All spaces for this weekend’s Kamp at Arrowhead Lake near Neola, Iowa are already reserved but there are still a limited amount of openings for the July 18 Kamp at Quail Mountain Recreation Area near Twin Lakes, Colorao.
For more information, visit www.tednugent.com.
Kamp sessions are outdoor class-format adventure. Each child – ages 11 to 15 – is taught proper archery shooting skills, learns hunter’s safety and ethics, survival skills, and participates in hands-on nature studies and a nature walk. Ted makes it a point to personally attend as many Kamp sessions as possible. “While my schedule does not permit me to attend all of the events, I take this stuff very personally,” he says. “Our Kamp For Kids matters. It changes young lives for the better,” he says. In addition to providing hands-on instruction, Nugent also performs a campfire rendition of his popular hunt songs, and talks to Kampers about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
“Ted Nugent Kamp For Kids” is a 100% volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and is operated by qualified families and individuals who deeply care about children and their futures. Every child is treated with love, affection and spiritual guidance by our dedicated volunteers. Lessons in resource stewardship, individual accountability, the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, Hunter Safety and law, International Bow Education (IBEP) and basic lessons in life are driven home in an open, honest, caring setting in the wild.
“I’m not interested in plaques, praise, banquets or awards. I’m only interested in results,” states Nugent. “I get all the rocket fuel motivation I need to keep moving forward when a smiling young kid comes up to me at Kamp and says he or she can’t wait to go fishing or hunting.”
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