More than a dozen members of the American Youth Foundation staff recently completed Camp Mental Health Certification offered by Let’s Empower, Advocate, and Do. LEAD is a nonprofit dedicated to...

Merrowvista Seasonal Staff are our best recruiters, so let’s see what we can do together! It’s time to engage your friendly, competitive spirit and win awesome prizes while helping recruit...

Jamie O’Hagin knows what it’s like to be the nervous new kid at camp. A bully tarnished her only prior camp experience, and she was worried she’d find the same...

Summer 2021 was filled with joys and challenges as the American Youth Foundation found new ways to welcome campers back to Miniwanca and Merrowvista in the midst of a pandemic....

Kim Novotny knows meals at Merrowvista are important community experiences. As Food Program Manager, she strives to make those meals healthy, delicious, and memorable. Novotny first joined the Merrowvista seasonal...

The American Youth Foundation is thrilled to welcome back more campers in 2022, and Merrowvista and Miniwanca are seeking energetic individuals to join their seasonal youth development teams for a...

For the first time in more than a year, a familiar sound could be heard across the dunes of Miniwanca and the valleys of Merrowvista: campers’ voices, laughing and singing...

Patrick O’Hagin is a beloved, mustachioed presence at Merrowvista – and a man of many talents. As Facilities Manager, he makes sure the buildings, grounds, and vehicles are safe and...

Morning Wayfinder C led Flag Raise on this golden day. They shared how they’ve grown in the past year and then swiftly headed to Out Camping Equipment to prepare for...

Morning   Breakfast this morning was happily interrupted by a Wayfinder D/E flash mob! Little Bigelow prepared for their hiking trip with a fire starting demo. After returning from their...

Morning   This joyful morning, our Go Getters were out in full force. Moosilaukee, Chocorua, Little Bigelow, and Tri-Pyramid met on the basketball court shooting hoops and bonding. Meanwhile, Wayfinder...

Morning   Tri-Pyramid led this morning’s flag raise. They shared a heartfelt list of all they’re truly grateful for this summer. Chocorua’s creativity was on full display in the New...

This happy silver day started with Wayfinder A in the Gazillion for some Arts & Crafts. They made handcrafted envelopes for some very special letters, Christmas cards with a summer...

Summer 2021 has officially begun at Merrowvista! The Media Specialist will share periodic dispatches from camp here on the blog. Check back as we share more stories from Canaan Valley! ...

As the American Youth Foundation prepares for summer 2021, the program and operations teams are eager to fill 200 seasonal staff jobs at Merrowvista and Miniwanca. AYF Senior Program Director...

In January, we announced dates and changes to our summer 2021 program offerings. Unfortunately, guidance regarding COVID-19 means we cannot offer our off-site Four Trails programs this year, since campers cannot...

Though the AYF wasn’t able to welcome campers this summer, Miniwanca and Merrowvista were still abuzz this year with the whirring of power tools and landscaping equipment. The facilities teams...

After careful assessment, the American Youth Foundation Board and staff feel we can offer safe, mission-supporting programs at Miniwanca and Merrowvista in summer 2021. It is clear that COVID-19 is...