Camp ASCCA Alumni Bob Kuykendall Shares His Story with the 2018 Summer Staff

Yesterday was another great day for the staff of Camp ASCCA. I can go on all day about the new things we learned yesterday, but I would like to focus on yesterday afternoon’s guest speaker. We had the honor yesterday to spend some time with an alumni of Camp ASCCA, Bob Kuykendall. Mr. Kuykendall was our guest speaker, and we had the privilege of listening to him tell about his Camp ASCCA experienceand how it has led him to the work he does today.

Mr. Kuykendall started working at Camp ASCCA in the summer of 1986, when he was just eighteen years old. In 1987, during his second summer working at Camp, Mr. Kuykendall became the fishing director for Camp. During his time working at Camp, Mr. Kuykendall worked alongside our current administrator, Mr. John Stephenson. Mr. Kuykendall’s speech yesterday was very eye opening to me. You see, this year is my first summer working at Camp, and I have never seen a group of people that are so passionate in what they do. The way that Mr. Kuykendall talked about Camp seemed like he was here working just last week. The memories about Camp that he shared with us were something I hope one day that I will be able to share with others.

After Camp life, Mr. Kuykendall went on and worked for the Federal Law Enforcement for twenty-five years, before retiring earlier this month. A few years back, Mr. Kuykendall and his son started a non-profit organization called Team Mountain. Team Mountain, according to Mr. Kuykendall, is “supporting those, who support others.” Team Mountain’s whole idea is that everyone has their own personal uphill battle that they have to climb, and with Team Mountain, you can help people with those uphill battles overcome them. There was one big message that I want to wrap up with, and that is something Mr. Kuykendall said yesterday. He said, “Thirty years later as I climbed that mountain and all I wanted to do was stop walking, all I could think about was the kids at Camp ASCCA.” We want to thank Mr.Kuykendall for all of his hard work during his years at Camp and for taking time to come speak to us yesterday. Go check out Team Mountain’s website to learn more about Team Mountain and their mission.

Be sure to check out our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for news about this week’s training session as we prepare for another great summer here at Camp ASCCA.