June 3, 2025 • 7 mins
We spoke with CEO Corrianne Chipello about Camp Courant and how they provide a FREE summer camp experience for Hartford children that promotes positive youth development and healthy lifestyle choices through active learning and fun activities. They are the oldest and largest FREE camp in the nation and have entered their 131st year!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Corey and Chappello. She is CEO
of Hartford's Camp Current. Good morning, good morning, thank you
for having me my pleasure. Let's just start out right
out of the gate. You're involved with Bertie's for Charity.
Why did you decide to do that?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well, you know, we work so hard to fulfill our
mission and this helps us get fifteen percent more so
why not?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Absolutely So, if people would like to donate, they could
go right to your website and donate for Bertie's for
Charity right there, and the website is Campcurrent dot org.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Correct, every single donation comes right back to Camp And
the beautiful part of Bertie's for Charity is that there
are no fees to the charity. So every single donation
made you get one hundred percent, well technically one hundred
and fifteen percent every single donation.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
So for people who don't know about Hartford's Camp Current,
how did it all begin?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
So, Hartford's Camp Current is one hundred and thirty one
years old. This year we have survived the tell of
time truly and we service Harvard Children seven hundred and
fifty children a day. Where we have free transportation to
and from camp, to meals, breakfast and lunch, and then
o We're fifteen different educational programs and activities and our
(01:19):
mission is to basically cut down on summer learning loss
but also allow all of our children to just be kids.
Come have the summer of their lives, get to learn
life skills, you know, they get to go swimming, they
get to do music, stem, yoga, healthy choices, nature, you
name it, we have it, and they really get to
come and have the summer of their lives.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
How is someone eligible to attend the camp?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
As long as you're five to twelve and you live
in Harford. That is our only criteria. And then we
are first come, first serve. So we do have registration
up and running. You can visit our website to do
that again, it's campcurrent dot org. And we fill up
until we're full and then we shut down. So we
are accepting registrations right now. So if you are a
Harford resident, you have a child that is a Harvard
(02:05):
resident and they would like to come to camp. We
are six weeks of just super awesome fun and I
think every kid actually enjoys coming and leaving. They look
forward to coming back. So we've been around for a
long time. A lot of our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
they have all attended camps, so they know the wonderful
(02:25):
activities we have, the great experience that they get to
take part in, and the longevity of the staff. They
get to see these kids year after year of year,
which is incredible.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Wow and see them blassom, I.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Bet yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Can you mention any success stories from attending the camp,
of course without naming any names.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Sure we. Honestly, every time I go out, it could
be anywhere. I could be home depot, I could get
the grocery store if I have a home deefer, a
Camp Current. Sure on. They stopped me and they're like,
I went to Camp Current and they tell me a
story about their experience, and that to me just shows
how wonderful and how long lasting this camp has been
(03:05):
for generations to come. One woman we honored last year
at our Buddy Bash, actually she took part in a
photography program at camp, and she had never done photography before,
she had no idea what it was, and now she
was a professional photographer. And she relates all of that
back to having that experience at Camp so we are
(03:26):
you know, we are changing lives. We are shaping people
for who they are to become, but also giving them
experiences that maybe they wouldn't have had otherwise. I know
a lot of our sporting programs like golf and lacrosse,
and we have nature programs and financial literacy, I mean,
swimming education, every single thing you can think of we
packed into a fun summer and the kids truly have
(03:49):
no idea that they're learning while they're doing these things
because it's all through play and there's just no better
way to learn.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
So how does it work? Do they pick up kids
right in front of their home? Is there a bus
every day? If parents are wondering a bus every day?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
We have thirteen different bus stops throughout Harford. It was
six and six, six on the north end, six on
the south end. So yeah, we have bus stops all
throughout Harford to make it very accessible and easy for
all of our family.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
So you have an event that's coming up also.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
So we kick off our start of summer June twenty third,
So this is when all of our fun starts. All
of our kids are back at camp and that morning,
if you would like to join us, we are always
open to the public from eight thirty to nine thirty
to help us welcome the kids off the bus for
the first time. And I've been doing this this is
my sixth year and it is truly a day like
no other. Watching the smiles and the energy just flow
(04:42):
off the buses all at the same time is something
I think that every single person should really experience. And
you being there to help us cheer on these kids
and give high fives is it makes all the difference.
So I hope everyone can join us on June twenty third,
from eight thirty to nine thirty and help us do that.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Must be like a Christmas morning thing where the kids
wake up and they're so excited and you get to
see it, see it all go.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Down exactly, and honestly, they run off the bus, their
backpack goes flying, and it's just like backpacks everywhere, kids
running and having fun. It's awesome, very organized chaos. It's
a beautiful thing to witness.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Well, we know that the kids love it, but what
kind of feedback, positive feedback have you gotten from the parents,
because I'm sure that has blessed their lives.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Oh yes, we do parents every every year and we
always ask like things we can improve on, ways we
can get better. And one of the biggest takeaways from
the survey is we ask what their kids would be
doing if they didn't have Camp Current, and a lot
of them say that they would be home alone. And
that to me as a parent is just something that
rocks my world to think that we are offering this
(05:50):
experience to make sure that they're truly getting to be
a kid, and that is something that so many of
us take for granted and not realizing that so many
kids do need the support. It does cost us quite
a bit. Like I said, every single child comes for free,
so seven hundred and fifty kids, it costs about one
hundred dollars a day per child. It adds up very
(06:10):
quickly to make sure that they can continue having the
summer of their lives. So every single contribution, every donation,
it makes a direct impact into getting our kids back
to camp and going through Brady's for charity, you are
just increasing your gift and making us, you know, even
more likely to have more children come each summer.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yes, go to Campcurrent dot org right now and make
your donation. Are you looking for volunteers?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
We are always looking for volunteers. We have thirty six
acres to maintain and we have six mighty staff full time,
so we have a very small team that works very
dedicated to this mission. In the summer we do obviously
expand our staff to about one hundred and fifty. But
throughout the year when we need to maintain these grounds,
(06:54):
we need all the help we can get. So if
you are looking as a company or as an individual,
we have opportunities all year long for cleanups to help
us maintaining the grounds. When it comes to our hiking trails,
our swimming pool, just basic all in spring cleanups, you
name it, we have it. We would love your help.
And also those opportunities are on our website and get
(07:15):
Current dot work.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
I'm speaking with Coreyan Chappello. She is CEO of Hartford's
Camp Current. I swear you have one of the best
jobs in the world. Just amazing. I would agree with
you again. That web address is Campcurrent dot org. Please
go right now and make a donation. Webster Bank will
match that dollar with fifteen cents, so they're going to
get a dollar and fifteen cents for every dollar. Thank
(07:38):
you so much for being here today and for caring
for our children.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Thank you so much for having me
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Corey and Chappello. She is CEO
of Hartford's Camp Current. Good morning, good morning, thank you
for having me my pleasure. Let's just start out right
out of the gate. You're involved with Bertie's for Charity.
Why did you decide to do that?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well, you know, we work so hard to fulfill our
mission and this helps us get fifteen percent more so
why not?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Absolutely So, if people would like to donate, they could
go right to your website and donate for Bertie's for
Charity right there, and the website is Campcurrent dot org.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Correct, every single donation comes right back to Camp And
the beautiful part of Bertie's for Charity is that there
are no fees to the charity. So every single donation
made you get one hundred percent, well technically one hundred
and fifteen percent every single donation.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
So for people who don't know about Hartford's Camp Current,
how did it all begin?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
So, Hartford's Camp Current is one hundred and thirty one
years old. This year we have survived the tell of
time truly and we service Harvard Children seven hundred and
fifty children a day. Where we have free transportation to
and from camp, to meals, breakfast and lunch, and then
o We're fifteen different educational programs and activities and our
(01:19):
mission is to basically cut down on summer learning loss
but also allow all of our children to just be kids.
Come have the summer of their lives, get to learn
life skills, you know, they get to go swimming, they
get to do music, stem, yoga, healthy choices, nature, you
name it, we have it, and they really get to
come and have the summer of their lives.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
How is someone eligible to attend the camp?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
As long as you're five to twelve and you live
in Harford. That is our only criteria. And then we
are first come, first serve. So we do have registration
up and running. You can visit our website to do
that again, it's campcurrent dot org. And we fill up
until we're full and then we shut down. So we
are accepting registrations right now. So if you are a
Harford resident, you have a child that is a Harvard
(02:05):
resident and they would like to come to camp. We
are six weeks of just super awesome fun and I
think every kid actually enjoys coming and leaving. They look
forward to coming back. So we've been around for a
long time. A lot of our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
they have all attended camps, so they know the wonderful
(02:25):
activities we have, the great experience that they get to
take part in, and the longevity of the staff. They
get to see these kids year after year of year,
which is incredible.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Wow and see them blassom, I.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Bet yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Can you mention any success stories from attending the camp,
of course without naming any names.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Sure we. Honestly, every time I go out, it could
be anywhere. I could be home depot, I could get
the grocery store if I have a home deefer, a
Camp Current. Sure on. They stopped me and they're like,
I went to Camp Current and they tell me a
story about their experience, and that to me just shows
how wonderful and how long lasting this camp has been
(03:05):
for generations to come. One woman we honored last year
at our Buddy Bash, actually she took part in a
photography program at camp, and she had never done photography before,
she had no idea what it was, and now she
was a professional photographer. And she relates all of that
back to having that experience at Camp so we are
(03:26):
you know, we are changing lives. We are shaping people
for who they are to become, but also giving them
experiences that maybe they wouldn't have had otherwise. I know
a lot of our sporting programs like golf and lacrosse,
and we have nature programs and financial literacy, I mean,
swimming education, every single thing you can think of we
packed into a fun summer and the kids truly have
(03:49):
no idea that they're learning while they're doing these things
because it's all through play and there's just no better
way to learn.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
So how does it work? Do they pick up kids
right in front of their home? Is there a bus
every day? If parents are wondering a bus every day?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
We have thirteen different bus stops throughout Harford. It was
six and six, six on the north end, six on
the south end. So yeah, we have bus stops all
throughout Harford to make it very accessible and easy for
all of our family.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
So you have an event that's coming up also.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
So we kick off our start of summer June twenty third,
So this is when all of our fun starts. All
of our kids are back at camp and that morning,
if you would like to join us, we are always
open to the public from eight thirty to nine thirty
to help us welcome the kids off the bus for
the first time. And I've been doing this this is
my sixth year and it is truly a day like
no other. Watching the smiles and the energy just flow
(04:42):
off the buses all at the same time is something
I think that every single person should really experience. And
you being there to help us cheer on these kids
and give high fives is it makes all the difference.
So I hope everyone can join us on June twenty third,
from eight thirty to nine thirty and help us do that.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Must be like a Christmas morning thing where the kids
wake up and they're so excited and you get to
see it, see it all go.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Down exactly, and honestly, they run off the bus, their
backpack goes flying, and it's just like backpacks everywhere, kids
running and having fun. It's awesome, very organized chaos. It's
a beautiful thing to witness.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Well, we know that the kids love it, but what
kind of feedback, positive feedback have you gotten from the parents,
because I'm sure that has blessed their lives.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Oh yes, we do parents every every year and we
always ask like things we can improve on, ways we
can get better. And one of the biggest takeaways from
the survey is we ask what their kids would be
doing if they didn't have Camp Current, and a lot
of them say that they would be home alone. And
that to me as a parent is just something that
rocks my world to think that we are offering this
(05:50):
experience to make sure that they're truly getting to be
a kid, and that is something that so many of
us take for granted and not realizing that so many
kids do need the support. It does cost us quite
a bit. Like I said, every single child comes for free,
so seven hundred and fifty kids, it costs about one
hundred dollars a day per child. It adds up very
(06:10):
quickly to make sure that they can continue having the
summer of their lives. So every single contribution, every donation,
it makes a direct impact into getting our kids back
to camp and going through Brady's for charity, you are
just increasing your gift and making us, you know, even
more likely to have more children come each summer.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yes, go to Campcurrent dot org right now and make
your donation. Are you looking for volunteers?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
We are always looking for volunteers. We have thirty six
acres to maintain and we have six mighty staff full time,
so we have a very small team that works very
dedicated to this mission. In the summer we do obviously
expand our staff to about one hundred and fifty. But
throughout the year when we need to maintain these grounds,
(06:54):
we need all the help we can get. So if
you are looking as a company or as an individual,
we have opportunities all year long for cleanups to help
us maintaining the grounds. When it comes to our hiking trails,
our swimming pool, just basic all in spring cleanups, you
name it, we have it. We would love your help.
And also those opportunities are on our website and get
(07:15):
Current dot work.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
I'm speaking with Coreyan Chappello. She is CEO of Hartford's
Camp Current. I swear you have one of the best
jobs in the world. Just amazing. I would agree with
you again. That web address is Campcurrent dot org. Please
go right now and make a donation. Webster Bank will
match that dollar with fifteen cents, so they're going to
get a dollar and fifteen cents for every dollar. Thank
(07:38):
you so much for being here today and for caring
for our children.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Thank you so much for having me
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