A Family Legacy, Written One Summer at a Time
For some families, YMCA Camp Eberhart is a summer tradition. For the Vance family, it’s part of who they are.
Long before Kelly Knecht attended her first week of camp, YMCA Camp Eberhart was already woven into her family’s story. Her grandmother spent summers there as both a camper and counselor beginning in the 1930s, eventually leading archery. Kelly’s father, Tom Vance, and uncle, Dave Vance, followed decades later, beginning Camp experiences that would stretch across much of their young lives.
By the time Kelly arrived for Day Camp in 1990, Camp Eberhart already felt like home.
“I had been visiting camp since I was little because my dad, my grandmother, and my uncle had all worked there,” Kelly recalled. “When I finally became a camper myself, I completely fell in love with it.”
Her first summer sparked a journey that would span decades, building on a family connection to Eberhart that already stretched back generations.
Growing Up at Camp
For Tom and Dave, that story began with their mother.
“She’s why we came to camp,” Dave remembered.
Tom arrived in 1966 and spent summers at Camp through 1975, eventually becoming head of archery, the same program his mother had once led. Dave attended Camp Eberhart from 1960 to 1979, giving him nearly two decades of memories and experiences tied to camp. Dave's Camp years ultimately included roles as counselor, assistant camp director, Camp's first resident director and first full-time outdoor education director. He also launched Eberhart North, giving campers opportunities for outdoor adventures beyond Camp.
As their responsibilities grew, so did their understanding of what Camp was giving them.
“Once you became a counselor, then you learned so much about leadership,” Dave said. “I learned about leadership, and I learned about public speaking at camp.”
Those lessons followed both brothers into adulthood. Tom describes Camp as perhaps an even greater influence on the person he became than high school or college, while Dave credits the practical leadership experience he gained there with helping prepare him for leadership roles throughout his career.
Kelly eventually discovered those lessons for herself. She progressed from camper to Counselor-in-Training and spent five summers on staff, eventually becoming Female Unit Cabin Head on the administrative staff in 2004, her last camp summer.
But the titles and leadership roles weren’t what stayed with her most.
“It was an experience like no other,” she said. “Ultimately, it’s the people. The friendships, the shared experiences and the bonds you create keep drawing you back.”
A Place to Become Yourself
Beyond the activities and friendships, Kelly remembers Camp as a place where she learned more about herself and others. One experience that particularly shaped her was Camp Eberhart’s Raggers program, a YMCA tradition centered on personal growth, reflection and goal-setting.
“It created such a personal connection,” she said. “As a camper, it was special having counselors invest in me. Later, as a counselor, it became incredibly meaningful to help younger campers through that same journey.”
Unlike many camp activities built around competition, Raggers encouraged campers to focus inward.
“It wasn’t about winning,” Kelly explained. “It was about becoming your best self.”
Camp also meant living and working alongside people with different personalities and strengths, an experience that taught Kelly how much each person could contribute.
“Some people organize. Some inspire. Some make difficult things fun,” she said. “You learn to appreciate everyone’s strengths.”
Perhaps most importantly, Camp gave her the freedom to simply be herself. “At camp, it felt okay to truly be yourself,” Kelly said. “You learn to appreciate other people for exactly who they are, too.”
Keeping Camp's Stories Alive
The Vance family's connection to YMCA Camp Eberhart hasn't simply been passed down through stories. Pieces of that history can still be found throughout Camp.
As a camper, Kelly remembers seeing her grandmother’s name written inside the old archery building and her uncle’s name in the astronomy hut.
“It almost felt like time travel,” she said. “Knowing my grandmother spent her summers in the same place where I was making my own memories made camp even more meaningful.”
Preserving that history became a particular passion for Tom.
As a college freshman and history major, he wrote a 48-page booklet about longtime Camp leader George “Coop” Cooper, gathering stories from approximately 30 people who had known him. That project grew into decades of historical research, newsletters, articles and publications about YMCA Camp Eberhart.
While living in Germany, Tom even corresponded with some of Camp's earliest alumni, then in their 80s and 90s, who sent photographs, brochures and other pieces of Camp history they feared might otherwise disappear. Tom copied and shared those materials with Camp and later used his research to document Eberhart's early years.
“He’s the Camp historian,” Dave said. “No one had done that before, and I don't think anyone's really done it since.”
For Tom, though, celebrating the past has never meant believing Camp should remain frozen in it.
He recalls a favorite sentiment from Coop about alumni returning and declaring that Camp wasn't what it used to be.
“Coop would say, ‘You're right. It's better.’” It's a philosophy Tom appreciates more with time.
A Legacy That Keeps Growing
Many of the friendships Kelly formed at Camp have endured for decades.
“I think camp friendships are so authentic,” she said. “Life gets busy. We’re all raising families now, but whenever we reconnect, it feels like no time has passed.”
That connection to Camp continues with the next generation. Kelly’s three daughters regularly return with the family for Family Camp, and she still hopes they will one day experience a YMCA Camp Eberhart summer of their own.
Looking back on the role Camp has played in Kelly’s life has been especially meaningful to her father.
“I was very proud of what she did at camp,” Tom said. “To me, that's just the greatest legacy I could have hoped for.”
Perhaps that is what a YMCA Camp Eberhart legacy really is—not recreating exactly what came before, but giving each new generation the opportunity to make Camp their own.
The Vance family’s story began nearly a century ago. And with another generation still finding its place at Eberhart, it continues to be written, one summer at a time.
Help More Kids Experience the Gift of Camp
Since 1909, YMCA Camp Eberhart has helped young people build confidence, friendships and a sense of belonging that can last a lifetime. Your support helps make that experience possible for the next generation of campers.
Learn more about Camp Eberhart and ways to support its mission at campeberhart.ymcagm.org or follow the YMCA of Greater Michiana on social media.
