In Focus: Camp Confidence Seeks Out Volunteers with 2nd Annual Fish Fry

Camp Confidence has been serving individuals with cognitive and developmental disabilities for over 50 years, taking kids on outdoor, educational excursions in the Brainerd Lakes Area. It holds many events throughout the year, none of which are possible without the help of great volunteers.

“We have a very small staff,” explained Confidence Learning Center Camp Director Amynda Hadfield. “[Volunteers] can help us in clerical with mailings, they can help us in maintenance with weed whipping or with just maintenance of the grounds. That’s huge to take care of this 140 acres throughout the summertime.”

On Friday, the center held its annual walleye fish fry volunteer drive in East Gull Lake to help get volunteers to assist in preparing the camp for its upcoming summer activities.

“We are … hoping to get volunteers to help us throughout the year, especially in the upcoming summer months,” continued Hadfield, “because it’s a very busy time and we need help with fundraisers and programs and we have lots and lots of camp visitors every day. So, volunteers really help us sustain what we do here.”

Camp Confidence partnered with the Camp Lions and Let’s Go Fishing to put on the event.

“So what we do is we take out senior citizens, veterans, challenged adults, challenged youth, hospice patients out on fishing excursions,” said David Brown, Let’s Go Fishing Brainerd Chapter President. “And last season we served over a thousand guests.”

For the volunteers at the fish fry, there’s nothing better than seeing the reactions of grateful kids.

“It’s amazing. I equate it to taking my granddaughters out fishing, you know, just a smile all the time on their face,” Brown added. “Every volunteer has a story to tell. And, you know, we’re so blessed to be able to have that opportunity to take them out and just to see the smiles that are on their face”

If you’d like to learn how to become a volunteer, you can visit the Camp Confidence website.