Joseph “Joe” Long didn’t want to go to camp the first time.
“It was kind of mandatory,” said the 15-year-old from Lackey High School. “But then after that, I wanted to come back.”
Now entering his fourth summer at Camp St. Charles, Joe describes the experience in a way that captures both its simplicity and its staying power.
“It’s been really fun. It’s like fun mixed with… nostalgic,” he said. “Like, kind of analog fun.”
That kind of unplugged, screen-free experience — paired with faith, friendship and personal growth — is exactly what Camp St. Charles has offered generations of campers as it celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Located on a peninsula along Charleston Creek and the Wicomico River in Southern Maryland, the Catholic summer camp in Newburg serves about 142 campers each week, ages 6 to 15, along with older teens in its mentor program. With rustic cabins, wooded trails and waterfront activities, the camp offers a traditional sleepaway experience rooted in community and care.
For Laura Hall, the camp’s executive director, that experience has shaped nearly her entire life.
Hall first encountered Camp St. Charles as a child, when she received a flyer but could not attend because the camp was then only open to boys. Years later, she returned as a counselor, intending to stay for just one summer.
“I really fell in love with the place,” she said. “I kept coming back again and again.”
More than three decades later, Hall has spent 32 summers at Camp St. Charles and nearly 25 years as its director. She met her husband there, was married there, and raised her children at the camp, both of whom are now young adults helping with the anniversary celebration.
“It’s just been a really huge part of our lives and a tremendous blessing,” she said.
While some aspects of camp have evolved over the years, Hall said its core mission remains the same: helping young people grow through challenge, community and time away from home.
“We want there to be challenges – things that are possible but still difficult,” she said. “You feel that wonderful sense of accomplishment when you overcome those challenges.”
That growth often begins in the camp’s cabins, where campers of different ages live together in what Hall describes as a “family-style” environment.
“It’s very much like a family,” she said. “Older campers become encouragers, like big brothers and big sisters.”
That sense of connection is exactly what keeps campers coming back – and what builds friendships that last far beyond the summer.
Samantha D’Ambrosio, a middle school student from La Plata, said she is returning for her third year for a simple reason.
“Her,” she said, pointing to her friend.
That friend, Hope Kubiak of Manassas, Virginia, has been coming to camp for five years. The two met at camp and have stayed in touch ever since.
“We were in the same group and just started talking and hanging out,” Hope said.
For Hope, camp became especially meaningful after the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was just happy to be outside and around people again,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of friends who live nearby, so camp is a place where I can really connect with people.”
Last year, she served as a mentor, helping guide younger campers — an experience that helped her grow in confidence and communication.
“It taught me how to communicate better with younger kids and build a sense of community,” she said.
That welcoming environment extends to campers of all backgrounds.
Samantha, who is Lutheran, said she has always felt included.
“Everyone is really welcoming and friendly,” she said.
For her younger sister Abby, a sixth grader, that sense of welcome made all the difference during her first summer.
“At first, I was a little scared,” Abby said. “But everyone made me feel less scared.”
Now entering her third year, Abby said camp has helped her become more independent.
“There are a lot of things where the kids help out and do things on their own,” she said.
For parents, that sense of care and structure can make all the difference when deciding whether to send their children away for the first time.
Becky D’Ambrosio, whose daughters first learned about the camp at the Charles County Fair, said she initially had some hesitation, especially because her children aren’t Catholic.
“I did worry a little about my daughter not being Catholic and whether she might feel left out — but that did not happen at all,” she said.
Instead, she found a well-organized program that communicated clearly and consistently with families.
“I can honestly say, I have never been a part of anything that communicates so well,” said D’Ambrosio, who works in government communications. “You never have to question anything.”
Emily Kubiak, another parent, said her daughters loved camp so much after their first session that they couldn’t wait to return.
“They get ‘camp sick,’” she said. “Instead of getting homesick, they miss camp.”
Kubiak said she has seen her daughter grow in confidence through the experience, especially by learning to navigate challenges independently.
“Being here, being on her own, and doing things without having mom or dad right there to help has really helped her grow,” she said.
That independence is fostered in part by the camp’s commitment to being fully unplugged. Campers do not have access to phones, instead spending their days outdoors canoeing, fishing, swimming, playing sports and participating in group activities.
“There’s definitely some anxiety beforehand,” Hall said. “But we’re busy, we’re outside, and that concern fades pretty quickly.”
Faith also remains a steady, but natural, part of camp life. Campers participate in daily prayer, short devotions and Mass during longer sessions, but the emphasis is on lived experience rather than formal instruction.
“It’s not in a classroom setting,” Hall said. “It’s woven naturally into camp life.”
The camp, rooted in the Salvatorian tradition, welcomes children of all faiths and backgrounds.
For many, the impact of Camp St. Charles extends well beyond childhood.
Emily Woodhull, who began attending camp in 2011 and later served as a counselor, credits the experience with shaping both her identity and her career.
“Camp really helped me become comfortable being my true self,” she said.
At closing campfire, campers and counselors can perform skits or music. As a counselor, Woodhull began singing in front of others, something that would later become central to her life.
“Now I do it for a living,” said Woodhull, a country and Americana singer-songwriter. “And I owe a lot of that to camp.”
She grew emotional reflecting on the experience.
“You don’t always think of summer camp as the place where you find your vocation,” she said. “But for me, it really was.”
Kelly Conlon, who spent four summers as a camper and later worked a decade on staff, said traditions like the closing campfire remain central to the experience.
“The entire camp comes together and sings at the top of their lungs,” she said.
Like others, she said the camp’s unplugged environment allows for deeper relationships.
“I still have friendships from when I was a camper because we were able to build those relationships without outside distractions,” she said.
That sense of continuity is reflected in staff members like Jacob Pantuso, who has spent 14 years connected to the camp.
“The campers,” he said, when asked why he keeps coming back. “I want to give them the same experience I had… something that helped me grow up and feel comfortable being myself.”
Pantuso’s connection runs even deeper. His grandfather served as a counselor at the camp in the 1960s, and his family remains closely tied to the Salvatorian community.
“I feel like I’m continuing that legacy,” he said. “I’m here to make him proud.”
That lasting impact can also be seen in the contributions of young people like Avery Sowa, 21, who built a baseball field at the camp as his Eagle Scout project and continues to stay connected while pursuing a career in aviation.
Over the years, Hall has seen former campers return as staff members, and later as parents, sending their own children to experience the same sense of belonging.
“I’ve had the privilege of seeing kids come back year after year… and even return with their own children,” she said.
As Camp St. Charles marks its 75th anniversary, that continuity is at the heart of the celebration.
The camp hosted a full day of events on May 2, bringing together alumni, families and staff for activities ranging from canoeing and camp singalongs to crafts and a commemorative memory project.
For Hall, the milestone reflects something deeper than longevity.
“There’s such an incredible opportunity for growth here,” she said. “I hear all the time from parents that their children come home more confident and more independent.”
For campers like Joe Long, that impact is simple.
“There’s something for everyone,” he said.
And for some, it becomes something more.
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Salvatorian Summer Camp Southern Maryland
