Time to sign up for Camp Kiwanis

Quincy Mitchell, 12, gets his flag taken away as he plays with other campers at Camp Kiwanis in the Ocala National Forest on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. [File photo by Bruce Ackerman]

There is a time-honored tradition in Marion County that goes back generations—Camp Kiwanis.

Raise your hand if you were ever a camper, or if your children or grandchildren have been campers. Chances are, many locals will recall the days and nights of fun, camaraderie and adventure they had at Camp Kiwanis.

Camp Kiwanis is located on Mill Dam Lake in the Ocala National Forest. The facility first was used as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp for workers during the 1930s. It later served as a quarantine hospital during World War II. After the war, the camp fell into disrepair. The Kiwanis Club of Ocala leased the property from the U.S. Forest Service in the late 1940s and began refurbishing the facilities. In 1948, the club opened Camp Kiwanis with a focus on providing a fun and safe summer camp for children.

A wooden dining pavilion was added in 1952, and air-conditioned dormitories were later built to replace aging wooden cabins. Portable classrooms, a playground, archery range, multi-purpose pavilion and sports fields have been added over the years.

Camp Kiwanis is a partnership between Marion County Public Schools and the Kiwanis Club of Ocala. The spacious campus remains a haven where children ages 7 to 13 can share fun times with other kids in a supervised environment.

“Camp Kiwanis is a traditional residential summer camp that has been part of the community since 1948. Kids have a blast swimming, canoeing, doing archery, crafts and more,” said Erin Benavides with Marion County Public Schools. “The staffers are Marion County Public Schools teachers, and we have amazing high school student counselors.”

Evening camp activities include skit night, relay races, battle-ball and a dance.

“Camp activities are designed to let kids be kids,” according to organizers.

This summer’s sessions will run June 9-13, June 16-20 and June 23-27, each at a cost of $400 for the week; a session from June 30-July 3 is $320. The Kiwanis Club of Ocala and other local Kiwanis clubs provide some scholarships to underprivileged kids. Families can drop off campers, or there is bus service from Marion Technical Institute to and from camp as needed.

To register, go to marionschools.revtrak.net/Camp-Kiwanis/#/list

Landon Boyles, 10, does a dolphin slide backwards on the bottom of a canoe as camp counselors watch at Camp Kiwanis in the Ocala National Forest on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. [File photo by Bruce Ackerman]