2026 PROGRAM REPORT
It is hard to fully grasp everything that comes together to make a summer at Sawyerville until you walk through the delightfully loud, crowded halls of Greensboro Elementary School in June. Over 200 campers yell their Camp’s cheer throughout the hallways at a volume that often depends on how sleepy they are after the pool. High schoolers from around the state wake from their air mattresses on the classroom and library floors, excited to greet their campers for a new day. Local bus drivers shuffle in and out between pool runs, and cafeteria staff greet each camper, student, staff member, and teacher as they come down the lunch line. Bathing suits, pool towels, picture and chapter books, t-shirts, and backpacks are tucked behind the curtain on the auditorium stage, ready for our next group of campers to check in each Sunday. Sawyerville’s presence in the community is also so much more than this. It spills out the bus doors onto South Street, takes a left onto Tuscaloosa Street, a right onto Main Street, South to Newbern, North to Akron, and West to the community of Sawyerville, where it all began. While I attempt to put into words the complexity and beauty of this thin space called Sawyerville, I encourage you to watch our summer wrap-up video, linked at the QR code below. Our successes are shown by the numbers and by the smiles, cheers, high-fives, and cannonballs into the pool. One of the largest, overarching successes of the summer runs deep: the partnership between Sawyerville and the Greensboro community. This year marks 33 years of ministry for Sawyerville. Our ministry, rooted in the Episcopal church and tradition, welcomed clergy from 3 different denominations over three sessions; our staff of 70-90 people worshiped on Sundays at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Third Street Church of God, First Methodist Church, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church; our summer-long interns were housed by Greensboro First Presbyterian Church and invited to their Wednesday night dinners and Sunday worship, and had a stocked kitchen and “on-call” resource in the church’s pastor, John Alexander, who lives right next door. On the Sunday of our third session, we worshiped at Third Street Church of God. This session, we had our largest staff of the summer, about 90 people, sitting shoulder to shoulder and filling every pew in the church in our bright yellow staff shirts. Pastor Kervin Jones, a long-time friend and supporter of Sawyerville, recognized us during the announcements and thanked the Episcopal Church for putting on Sawyerville year after year. When he called me up to say a word about the ministry, I looked around the room at our staff looking back up at me, some there for their first time, and some who have been at Sawyerville since they were six years old. I stated that, yes, Sawyerville is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, but the beautiful thing about Sawyerville now is that, in many ways, the Hale County community is serving itself. 46 staff members this summer were former campers, and 76% of our interns hailed from the Black Belt, the highest rate in program history. Sawyerville has been a part of the community consistently for years, and has seen generations of campers grow into staff, interns, and adult coordinators. It is bigger than one denomination. For example, our high schoolers came from many different faith traditions this summer, with two-thirds identifying with a denomination other than the Episcopal Church. Some of their church homes include: Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Church of the Highlands, Moundville Baptist Church, Huntsville First United Methodist, Christ the King Catholic Church, Pine Grove Baptist Church, Greater Faith in Christ Church, One Hope Church of Tuscaloosa, Saint Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. Some did not have church homes at all. None of the campers served this summer were members of an Episcopal Church, yet every single one belonged. So what happens when Episcopalians, Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Unchurched young adults come together to serve 6-14-year-olds of equally diverse spiritual backgrounds and affiliations? A glimpse of the Kingdom of God. Different denominations, different life experiences, different races, different stories—and yet one community. The Love found at Sawyerville transcends denomination, race, gender, and any other label that might otherwise divide us. And our campers feel it too. They notice when someone remembers their name, cheers them on in the pool, sits beside them at lunch, or believes in them before they might have believed in themselves. They leave with new friends, new confidence, and the reminder that they are deeply loved simply because they are children of God. Differences become gifts, strangers become friends, and everyone has a place in the story God is writing at Sawyerville.
Sawyerville’s mission statement has three main pillars: to serve God, broaden the horizons of participants and staff, and improve race relations in Alabama. During the month of June, we are accomplishing all three, whether we realize it or not. Every Sunday afternoon, Breanna Carter, the Missioner for Racial Healing and Pilgrimage for our Episcopal Diocese, came to Greensboro for an hour-long Race Relations training with our staff members. We had this time to break into groups and be intentional, curious, and open-minded. For me, having grown up in Selma, this pre-camp Race Relations training was one of the most impactful moments of my first year on staff in high school. This training sets the tone for the work we do throughout the week, and these conversations are not meant to end when camp does. Our hope is that every staff member returns home with a broader perspective. If we leave Hale County seeing one another—and the world—a little differently, then this part of our mission has taken root. Whether it be in the counselors-versus-interns kickball game, in nighttime conversations in a circle of air mattresses, in staff meetings, in swim lessons at the pool, at mealtimes, or in evening worship, we are improving race relations, broadening horizons, and serving God. While so much of the magic happens within the walls of Greensboro Elementary School or in the pool at Marion Military Institute, the love, growth, care, friendships, and Christ-like community that emerge each summer are far too big to stay there. People travel from across Alabama and beyond to Hale County, many not knowing exactly what to expect. They come to cook or bring a meal, volunteer on staff because a friend invited them, deliver supplies that were collected at their church, or simply spend a day with us. Each person becomes part of something much greater than any one of us. At Sawyerville, people who may never have crossed paths become neighbors, and neighbors become a community rooted in God’s love that continues long after summer ends. More often than not, they leave carrying something with them that they didn’t bring. As this program year comes to a close, we give thanks for all that has been and look ahead with hope for all that is still to come. Thank you for believing in this ministry, walking alongside us, and helping the light of Christ at Sawyerville continue to shine far beyond the summer months. We invite you to ‘come and see’ next summer, at our Christmas party this upcoming December, at our annual 5K in February, and as we celebrate 10 years of our Person2Person program, pilgrimaging to Washington D.C. this upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. God’s peace,
Carrie Dennis Sawyerville Executive Director carrie@sawyerville.org
304 children, ages 6-14, attended one or more Summer Camp sessions, led by 129 volunteer high school staff. 46 staff members were once campers themselves! Lower, Middler, and Upper campers rotated through arts & crafts, E2, games, Bible stories led by certified teachers, and swimming lessons; this year, 63 campers passed their swim test! We also welcomed 10 clergy members from three different denominations to guide campers and staff spiritually.
99 students, rising first- through sixth-graders, completed 60 hours of Reading and 50 hours of Math in accordance with the AL Literacy and Numeracy Acts. Every Friday, students had a full day of enrichment, including swimming lessons, which served as an attendance incentive. As a result, 55 students received awards for stellar attendance. 31 pre-Kindergarten students participated in 4 weeks of half-day school readiness programming.
Over the 2025-2026 school year, Sawyerville Mentoring welcomed 13 mentee-mentor pairs—10 graduating seniors and 3 juniors from Greensboro High School and Hale County High School. Our calendar of events included a Wellness Workshop, ‘Friendsgiving’ Dinner, Christmas Parade Float Decorating, and various fellowship and check-in opportunities. All 10 graduating seniors received a gift from Sawyerville to be put towards school supplies..
Every year during Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, young people come together at Person2Person to learn about Alabama's racial history and explore present-day social justice and racial healing efforts. P2P 2026 brought together 27 participants and staff for museums and reflections in both Birmingham and Montgomery. 2027 will mark 10 years of the program, and we are excited to announce that we are headed to Washington, D.C.!
Sawyerville offers an educational scholarship to former campers and counselors from Hale County, AL. This year, the Leslie Manning Scholarship Fund awarded 23 scholarships of $1,000.00 each, totaling $23,000. Our recipients will attend the following colleges: UAB, Alabama A&M, South Alabama, University of Alabama, Jacksonville State, Shelton State, UWA, Erwin State, ASU, Tuskegee, Lawson State, and Miles College.
Sawyerville River Fest September 20, 2025 Sawyerville Christmas Party December 6, 2025 Greensboro Christmas Parade December 13, 2025 Sawyerville ‘Love Your Neighbor’ 5K February 14, 2026
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
scan here to give!