Down Under Week at Rowdy Ridge Gang Camp
Annette used to feel that carefree spirit as a young girl camping with her sisters. That seems like a lifetime ago. After eleven years of married life, she and her four young daughters lost their father/husband to a domestic violence conviction. Piecing their new life together was anything but carefree. Fun times used to be few and far between, until she got her confidence back and deliberately tried to create a better life for all of them. After a stint of homelessness, Annette became a full-time student, provider, and single parent for her girls.
Annette brought her girls up to camp in hopes of sharing fun times together. She breathed in the fresh mountain air and was taken back to a more carefree time. She ran because she could, danced because she felt like it, and sang just to be silly. The positive attitude Annette and the girls found at Rowdy Ridge filled them with peace. The respectfulness of the staff and counselors made it easy for her to place her complete trust in the care they would receive while at camp.
“I don’t worry about them here. They look happy when I see them” Annette says. She is proud of them as they hit the bulls-eye mark in the archery range, or perform a skit in front of the entire camp. Smiles are coming more easily now. There’s also a glow of love and admiration in her daughter’s eyes reserved just for Annette, the over-comer.
The Aussie-themed week really meant something to her family. They learned that they are not alone, but have “mates” who share a similar past as well as a future hope. They found there are infinite possibilities to solve any single problem. This family trip was good for them and will undoubtedly bring more smiles as they remember all the fun they had together and with their new Rowdy Ridge family. They are no longer “down under” with struggles, but on top of it all with a new lease on life.
Annette and family