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Camp History
At the Spring meeting, the report was good. Twenty-three boys were interested in coming. The Bible outlines were well-written, but there was no cabin to rent. The decision was made that if no place could be found then the whole endeavor would be dropped. As they all stood to go(with the thoughts of not continuing in mind) someone suggested renting Camp Kline. Ramon Palmer was active in Boy Scouts and was a Christian, so was contacted. Finding out that Camp Kline was closed in August, and therefore available to rent, the men moved ahead, believing God had a larger vision for them. The first summer, twenty-three boys attended for a ten day session. Follow-up was through a small newspaper called "Hi Mate!", and through spring retreats for local boys. The second summer, fifty boys attended.
In 1949, Al Jackson wrote the incorporation papers for a non-profit corporation with a Christian board of directors called "Susque Boys' Club, Inc." The name was chosen from a list of suggestions which were religious in nature mostly, with the goal to reach beyond the walls of the church. The papers were sealed early in 1950.
In 1951, the Boy Scouts were reviving their program and so Bob Dittmar began to look for a suitable alternative to Camp Kline. A cousin stopped by to see Bob and told him that John Bower's land along the Lycoming Creek was for sale. John Bower and his son had planned to have a boys' camp and were therefore very interested. He agreed to sell the land for $10,000 and he held part of the mortgage at 4.5%. On the day the advisory board met to decide on the purchase, there was $250 in the treasury. The property was purchased in 1953, and the following summer Camp Susque moved to its new location. The camp emblem was designed in 1953 by Bob Christenson and Bob Dittmar.
With continued growth in both attendance and facilities, the push was on to introduce a girl's camping program in 1967. Logically, the name was soon condensed to "Camp Susque".
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In 1946, four leaders took 16 fellows on a two-night camping trip up the Loyalsock Creek. On the second night, around a campfire, a discussion revealed concerns about the issues of life that had previously been unspoken. The leaders were overwhelmed at the boys' response and discussed a greater ministry of camping with planned goals, with teaching inserted into daily camp life, and with the purpose of evangelizing boys who were not church attendees. To plan this ministry, the leaders met in December of 1946 to write down goals and purposes. The following were agreed upon:
Susque has operated for over 60 years of ministry. The summers are filled with three weeks of boys camp, three weeks of girls camp, various adventure wilderness trips, Adventure Camp for younger youth, and two family camps. During the "off" season, churches, youth groups, and other educational organizations rent the facilities to host their own programs. In addition, Susque holds numerous Susque sponsored retreats like our winter camps, Father/Son, and Mother/Daughter events. Two volunteer work weekends are held, one in the Spring and one in the Fall to prepare camp for the various approaching seasons. Mid-week sees home schooling programs, field trips from local schools, and other opportunities for ministry.