By Elizabeth Kang
Some of the fondest childhood memories are made at summer camp. Being immersed in the outdoors, swimming, hiking, putting on silly skits and shows, creating cherished keepsakes in art & crafts, making lasting new friends, and singing those songs that stay with you throughout your entire life — these are the activities that make a child’s summer so memorable.
Adventure Day Camp provides all of those fun, nostalgic camp experiences without the “overnight” aspect of traditional sleep away camp. Because Adventure Day Camp operates during the day, your child is able to experience all of the excitement and independence of summer camp with the ability to sleep in the comfort and security of their own bed.
Operating in both Walnut Creek and San Ramon, this family-owned business is celebrating their 20th-year anniversary, and we wanted to give special recognition to this beloved long-standing, local business.
We talked with owner Kevin Welch, who, along with his wife Sunshine, own and operate Adventure Day Camp and together, bring decades of camp experience and a wealth of skilled training into their business.
Active Family Magazine “How and why did you start Adventure Day Camp?”
Kevin “I started Adventure Day Camp 20 years ago, while Sunshine came on full time six years after that. I grew up at camp, literally, starting when I was 9 months old, when my family ran a sleep away camp in Maine. I have been involved with summer camps each of the 47 years of my life after that. That’s right! I have never spent a summer of my life not involved in summer camp.
Sunshine graduated from Chico State with a B.S. degree in Recreation Administration, so it made perfect sense that we would team up to run and operate Adventure Day Camp. We are both strong advocates for the importance of recreation to foster social, physical and emotional positive chance.”
Active Family Magazine “What sets Adventure Day Camp apart from other Summer Camps?”
Kevin “Two things set our camp apart. One, the diversity and amount of really awesome activities, and two, the quality of our staff and the overall dedication they show to enriching the lives of campers.
Ok, and one more thing. I do feel that being a family run and operated camp is really important. Sunshine and I are really hands-on and involved with all aspects of the program. That includes hiring staff, safety training, driving certification, and overseeing the program while it is running. We are parents to 8 and 6-yr-old boys, and I feel that helps us to understand what our camp families are experiencing, as they trust us with the care of their children.
Active Family Magazine “What is a typical camper’s day like at Adventure Day Camp?
Kevin “All campers arrive by 9:15 and at that time we blast some awesome, upbeat and positive music. This is the signal for all campers to head to their group meeting spots. This is a time for counselors to apply sunscreen, make sure everyone has a water bottle, and basically get their kids pumped up for the day.
We then hold our ‘Morning Show’ from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., where we sing songs, perform skits, and of course hold our daily ‘Dance Party.’ From 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., our groups are off participating in their daily scheduled activities. (Including lunch at noon, and different daily activities which can include horseback riding, swimming, arts & crafts, archery, tennis, woodworking, boating, rock climbing, skateboarding, and offsite field trips.)
At 3:30 p.m. we once again get together as a whole camp for our ‘Closing Day,’ which includes a few camp songs, announcements, or just letting our campers come up and let us know what their favorite part of their day was. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. we are either driving campers home on the bus, or they are being picked up from our extended care.”
Active Family Magazine “What do you love about owning and operating Adventure Day Camp?”
Kevin “After 20 years, we have developed so many amazing relationships with campers and their families. We have Camp Directors on our staff who have been coming to our camp since they were 6-years-old. We have seen so many amazing campers grow up to be amazing adults and we feel that camp has had at least a small something to do with that.”
Active Family Magazine “You are celebrating 20 years in business! How has your camp evolved over that time?”
Kevin “Although I certainly feel our camp has evolved over 20 years, mostly I believe many aspects of our camp have remained the same. Quality staff, a diverse and fun program, and creating meaningful relationships with campers and their families has always been extremely important to us.
I think we have continued to always improve our program each and every year. We feel it’s extremely important to never get complacent and always work to be better each and every year.
As we look to celebrate 20 years of running summer camps in the Bay Area, we feel extremely grateful to be entrusted by our camp families to be a significant part of their children’s lives. It’s absolutely an honor and something we promise to never take for granted. Here’s to another amazing 20 years!”
For more information on Adventure Day Camp, including tuition and sample schedules, please contact Kevin or Sunshine at (925) 937-6500 or email campinfo@adventuredaycamp.com