We are a traditional summer camp for girls located in northern Alabama in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, on the crest of Lookout Mountain. Camp DeSoto is 1800 feet above sea level, offering warm days and cool nights. Girls ages 8 to 16 spend four weeks living in simple cabins, enjoying fellow campers and counselors, experiencing life in the woods, and participating in a program that is broad and rich in its offerings. The natural athlete will hit the ground running at Camp; girls more inclined toward the arts find more to take than they can fit into their schedules. We believe in the value of a general program and seek to provide one in which each camper can become well-rounded, drawing eagerly from both arts and athletics.

There are three distinct communities within the one Camp. Campers live, share meals, and take activities with girls in their own age groups. These age divisions - Junior, Intermediate, and Senior - create small units that allow a camper to feel sure of her place in the group and to experience that wonderful sense of belonging. Then there are those times the whole Camp gathers in the Dining Hall for a meal and singing, in the Gym for Assembly or Tribe Days, or on the Playfield to play or compete. We like to think that the way our program is designed gives girls "the best of both worlds."

Over the years, DeSoto has remained committed to giving girls a 4-week camping experience, and we want you to know why. It takes time to make the initial adjustment. Then, girls need "settling in" time. During all of this, there is time available for the slow, sure development of relationships. We want a campers to relate well with their friends, with themselves, and with God. Four weeks allow this to happen. The happy times of Camp and the growth that occurs in campers are two things we don't want to rush.

Camp DeSoto is a Christian camp. We hire faithful Christian young women who will be distinctly loving. We also try to provide the good of camping in the context of Christian community with worship as a part of each day through Morning Watch and Cabin Devotion. A girl's spiritual growth is fundamental to her becoming a whole person free to give her gifts and receive the gifts of others.

One of our goals at Camp DeSoto is to help girls "live life more abundantly." When Camp is over, our girls have done a great deal more than just develop their bodies. They have learned the happiness of working together for the good of the group. They have experienced the joys of daily tasks as well as the joys of daily play. They have known the safety found in a loving environment. They have gained a new independence and acquired a new self-confidence. They have become aware of the wonderful world of the out-of-doors and have appreciated anew the privilege of worshipping their Creator. Under the guidance of fine staff members, campers have developed physically, socially, and spiritually.

Camp is a safe place for girls to find themselves -

• to find that they are unique;
• to find that they are strong;
• to find that they are part of something bigger (cabin, tribe, family, world);
• to find that they are more than accepted by God - they are deeply loved by Him.

Our hope is that through Camp girls will grow and deepen, becoming mature individuals who are free in Christ to love and serve others.