Sunrise sail, summer staff Holiday Hangout, December
Sail on sailor, ‘til you find what it is your lookin’ for Trim your sails and turn you’re ship around To the Lord
What’s Your Story?
Dear Camp Don Lee Friends,
Each of us carries a Camp Don Lee story, one woven with faith, friendships, and joy. For some, that story was written just this past summer. For others, it goes back decades, growing fonder (and perhaps a little more embellished) with time.
Does your story include a counselor who made you feel seen and cared for, turning camp into an unforgettable experience? Or maybe it was a sailing trip that went sideways at first, but in hindsight became one of your best adventures. Perhaps it was a bunkmate who became a lifelong friend, or a worship service at Vesper Dell where you felt God’s presence in a new and powerful way.
This year, as part of our Annual Fund appeal, we’ve invited camp families to share their Camp Don Lee stories. These testimonies remind us of the power of this ministry and invite each of us to continue shaping its future through our prayers and financial support.
Your gift to the Annual Fund strengthens the camper, staff and guest experience by providing resources that enhance programming, equipment, facilities and Christian faith formation. For alumni, parents and friends, the Annual Fund is a way to stay connected to camp and ensure that new generations of campers can create stories of their own. Even though we may no longer be campers ourselves, we can still be part of camp each summer through our generosity.
In 2024, your Annual Fund gifts made a difference:
— Added eight new Sol sailboats, proudly made in the USA, with parts interchangeable with Sunfish. Navigator campers who sailed them first said they were “so smooth on the water” and “easy to handle.”
— Opened the Friends of Camp Don Lee Cabin, featuring central heat and air, bathrooms and a dedicated space for summer leadership staff, ministers or teachers on retreat.
— Brought in world-class speakers for summer staff training, equipping our staff to lead with competence, faith and safety.
This summer, our campers and staff studied the journeys of Bible characters, people who followed faithfully through hardship and joy. Their stories remind us that our own Camp Don Lee experiences are part of the larger story of faith.
As you recall your own Camp Don Lee story, may it inspire you to keep the story of this ministry alive through your prayers, support and generosity.
Sail on, Sailor!
Kate Metts, Director
“Faith by it self, if it is not accompanied by action, is lifeless.”
— James 2:17
— Mustard Seed Faith, Lewis McVay, composer, Tommy Coomes, producer
Third generation camper Greyson Screen with camp director this summer
The Nadler-Brooks Family Story
Relationship to Camp:
Genevieve (Genny): I first came to CDL as a retreat participant, then I was a summer camper, an LIT, a weekend retreat staff, a summer staffer, a member of the year-round program staff, and now a family camper. I also bring my youth group to camp for weekend retreats.
Alex: I was a summer camper, a weekend retreat staff, and a summer staffer.
Evelyn and Bob: We sent our kids to summer camp and have been family campers since 2006.
What did you learn while serving in a leadership role?
Genevieve: Leading is harder than it looks. It takes intentionality, flexibility, heart, vulnerability and trust.
Alex: You can’t make everyone happy. And I think there is a mindset change from what is good for me to what is good for the group.
Why should college students work at camp?
Alex: Responsibility over children gives college kids perspective. It helps college kids think about planning and being strategic rather than just doing the first thing that comes into their minds. Working at camp gives college kids great leadership opportunities.
Evelyn and Bob Nadler: It’s just a fabulous experience. When employers look to see what you’ve done, I think it is very impressive that you’ve spent your summers working at a camp for children.
Why should parents send their children to camp?
Alex: Camp helps children build independence in an environment that is safe and nurturing, while also having a lot of fun during the summer.
Evelyn Nadler: For us, it was about building incredible memories and giving our kids opportunities to be who they really were without so many “mirrors” around or people telling them who they were supposed to be. Camp was a place where they could be themselves and be celebrated for it.
Favorite Don Lee Tradition?
Genevieve: I loved singing songs in the dining hall after meals. OOOO An Austrian went Yodeling!
Alex: Singing ‘Sail on Sailor’ and throwing staff in the pool on their birthdays.
What did you learn at camp?
Alex: I learned how to sail. I learned how to be a camp counselor. I learned how to lead groups of children and make things fun.
Genevieve: I learned the importance of a positive attitude, of creativity, and of silliness. I learned that you should always have a rain plan. I learned that good storytelling takes practice. And I learned to always use a microphone, if one is available.
How has camp shaped the life of your family?
Alex & Genevieve: In some ways it feels like a foundational place for our family, since we met there working during our college summers. We sing camp blessings around the dinner table, we attend family camp weekends with our kids, and we sang Sail on Sailor as a lullaby when our kids were babies. When Genevieve takes her youth group to camp, we try to bring the whole family when we can. It’s been a very special place for our family.
Bob and Evelyn Nadler: It definitely shaped our family’s life. Camp was a very positive place for all of our kids as campers. And all of our kids worked on summer staff. We have loved coming to family camp and supporting Don Lee. It has become a sacred space for our whole family.
How has the camp experience formed your Christian faith?
Genevieve: Camp has been a place where my faith was really nurtured. There were so many moments as a camper where we are asking the question, where did I see or feel God today? As a staff, we were constantly facilitating these questions, answering them for ourselves, and figuring out how to articulate our faith in Jesus Christ to younger campers.
Why do you support annual fund?
Genevieve: Camp Don Lee’s summer camp, retreat ministry, and school programs are life changing. We want everyone to experience this sacred space on the banks of the Neuse River. You never know how God might transform a few nights away in this special community.
Alex: To make sure that more kids have the opportunity to go to camp at Camp Don Lee.
From left, Alex Brooks, grandmother Sue Ramger, Genny Brooks, Bob and Evelyn Nadler; Davis and Adair
The Cummins-Wheeler Family Story
Relationship to Camp:
Barry and Sue Cummins, son, Bradley, former camper, summer staff, former chair, NC United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries; wife, Kristen, and daughters, Ada and Harper, both campers; daughter, Kim, husband Marshall Wheeler, and Case, LIT 2024, and Lucy, camper.
What are the benefits of the camp experience?
Kim: Camp for my kids has been such an anchor and highlight each year - I can’t imagine a summer without Camp Don Lee in our lives! Unplugging from technology, being outdoors, building friendships and growing closer to God are just a few of the many things to cherish about summers for my kids at Don Lee! The smiles from staff that greet you at drop off and the tearful goodbyes from the kids at pickup say it all - it’s an experience that means the world to all of us!
Why should college students work at camp?
Bradley: Working at camp is a wonderful environment. There are challenges. There are also many rewards.
Why should parents send their children to camp?
Sue and Barry: It is so important for kids to experience the outdoors in a safe Christian environment. Camp Don Lee has been and is that place for our family. Campers grow in their faith, develop social skills, stretch their independence and make new friends. The friends they make can last a lifetime.
What did you gain through the sailing program at camp?
Case: Don Lee’s sailing program taught me so much over the years from sailing a Sunfish in the beginning to docking a Flying Scot in LITs. Sailing has always been my favorite part of camp, and I have so many good memories over the years.
What’s your favorite camp memory?
Lucy: When our counselors wake us up in the morning with music and sailing!
What did you learn at camp?
Harper: I learned to trust my fellow campers on the challenge course.
Favorite Camp Moment?
Lucy: Meeting new people in my group and the scavenger hunts.
Harper: Pool time & the camp store.
How has the camp experience formed your Christian faith?
Case: Camp has had such a big impact on my faith journey and walk with Christ. Spending a week or two weeks or even up to a month with a group of kids my age and talking about God made my relationship with Christ so much stronger. Sharing with fellow campers helped me to deepen and understand my faith. I truly would not be where I am today without Camp Don Lee and its God-centered atmosphere.
Why do you support the annual fund?
Sue and Barry: It is important that Camp Don Lee’s ministry be available for future generations. Lives are changed every day at camp. Our contribution to the annual campaign is our way of returning the blessings our family has received since the 1980s.
Scan the QR code to read more about these families and their stories.
Barry and Sue Cummins with grandchildren at camp
The Cummins and Wheeler Family
How One Man’s Ministry Inspired Generosity
and Support for Summer Camp
The late Rev. Richard Williams, who was the Christian education pastor at Centenary United Methodist Church in Smithfield, for 42 years, embodied the definition of faith-filled fun. “He just loved young people,” said Carolyn, his wife of 41 years.
Richard embraced Christian camping for all. As a minister, he decided to take families from Centenary down for the weekend at Camp Don Lee beginning in the 1970s, Carolyn said, where they enjoyed Christian fellowship, games, outdoor recreation and worship time together.
In 2010, following Richard’s death in 2009, former NC United Methodist Camp & Retreat Executive Director Bobby Harris was so inspired by Richard’s ministry and his passion for young people and their growth and development, that he worked with Centenary to establish a fundraising program in Richard and Carolyn’s honor that would raise funds to send Centenary children and youth to Camp Don Lee during the summer.
Each year, the church holds the Richard and Carolyn Williams Campership Endowment Auction at the church. Church member Warren Grimes, who roomed with former camp director Rev. John Farmer at Highpoint University, helps to oversee and manage the endowment campership fund. Since 2016, the endowment has awarded more than $107,000 in campership funds to impact 38 different campers, many of whom have come to camp over multiple summers.
Warren said the results of young people attending camp over the years has impacted the community and their congregation. “I see the youth who attend camp be more involved in their community and at school,” he said. “They stand up for themselves and have increased confidence.”
Both Carolyn and Warren agree that the campership fund has many positive ripple effects across the congregation; adults are focused on the children and youth at the church and helping to provide faith formation experiences for them; and the youth who attend camp are more involved in youth programming and the overall life of the church.
Camp Don Lee provides a positive experience in God’s creation and helps campers understand how to take care of it, Warren said. “It also creates many happy, lifetime memories and friendships, which is so important, helping them understand the importance of Christian community, the social skills and an understanding of Christ’s love for each of us.”
— Warren Grimes, Centenary UMC
Carolyn said her husband would be absolutely thrilled to see the way the Centenary community has embraced the youth of the church with this financial support for so many years. “He would say that it was only by the grace of God that he was called to this work. His heart was in it all the way.”
Rev. Richard and Carolyn Williams, Centenary United Methodist Church, Smithfield
Youth Favorite: Richard as Herman the Worm
Camp Don Lee 2024 Annual Fund Donors
1948 Society ($5000 and more)
Tom and Lib Campbell, Doug and Halie Creps, Bart and Joy Jones, Keith and Rhonda Nichols, James and Mildred Wilkinson Charitable Trust
Friends of Camp Don Lee ($1000 and more)
Angela Andrews, Rudy and Joann Ashton, Jane Ann Baker, Mary Ballance, Mitchell Barnes, Scott and Tara Bridgeman, Jennifer Bryant, Barry and Sue Cummins, Catherine Cooper, Julia Cranford, Centenary United Methodist Church-New Bern, Emily and Eugene Everett, Scot and Kristi Finch, Thomas Hroza, Lara San Martin Joseph, Eric Lodge, Laura Patterson, Kathy Risley, Jennifer Smith, Jane Spicer, Swansboro United Methodist Men, Harvey Watson, Waterline Marine dba Powercraft Marine, Edwin and Kelly Yaeger
$200 or More
Sail on Sailor ($2500 and more)
Mike and Catherine Artman, William and Sabrina Brooks, George and Emily Henson, Amanda Tilley, Jen and Andy Willis
$500 or More
Hannah McMillan, Barber and Landis Barber, Cynthia Brown, Dianne Bruton, Catherine Creps, Jacqueline Daniels, Joan and Larry Gracie, Cooper Norris, Jere Pelletier, Tommy Price, Carolyn Robertson, Kevin Seymour, George and Linda Singleton, Matthew and Kelly Sproul, Bruce and Melissa Stanley, Jenifer Swindell, Wesley Chapel UMC, Westminster UMC
Ann Street UMC, James Amy, Arapahoe Methodist Church, Owen Barrow, Karlene Brown, Brenda Child, Jack Dailey, Mary Edmundson, Phillip and Lori Edwards, Roger Elliott, Carol and Russ Erwin, Marjorie Faist, Gene and Beth Fisher, Susan Fulp, Darrell Gibbs, Scott Hair, Bradley Hanover, Edmund Hughes, Emily Massey, Meredith Ramger, Stephanie Setliff, St. James UMC-Greeville, Slater Enterprises Inc., Jon Strother, Catherine Thompson, Sara Veal Circle/Oriental UMC, Ashlyn and Kevin Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Carolyn Wilson, Claire Cox-Woodlief, Wares Chapel UMC
$100 or More
Douglas Ausbon, Elisabeth Baker, Dail Ballard, Jerry Barker, Michael Beck, JBell Counseling Services, Allen and Cindy Bingham, Jacob Blount, Toni Blount, Wiley Boyce, Ryan Boyle, Robin and Michael Brooks, Gail Cane, Mary Carpenter, Caroline Carrison, Cassandra Carmichael LTD, Ben Clark, Elizabeth Cobb, John and Kathy Cooper, David Cordts, Tom and Becky Eller, Elizabeth Evans, Kelly Gunter, Richard Hardy, Alan Hawkins, Edward Hill, Margaret Huffman, Iris Jones, F. Belton Joyner, Ann Kellogg, Jessica Kochman, Catherine Leffler, Keith McCabe, Robert McConnell, Cooper Metts, Kate Metts, Allyson Meyer, Don Mills, David Morris, Amy Nowell, Greg and Leslie Parr, Stuart Parr, Robbie Patterson, Meredith Rose, Sand Dollar Circle/Oriental UMC, George Seymour, Elizabeth McMillan Smith, Charles Stafford, Eddie Stuart, Brenda Thacker, J. Gilbert Vick, Meredith Wadsworth, Martha Walston, Amy and Gray Wilson
Thank you for your generous support. Sail on Sailor!
*We’ve made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the above. If you see an omission or error, please contact kate@donleecenter.org.
For gifts of stock, please contact camp director.
With a deep love for camp and its mission, they’re charting the course to ensure future generations experience the transformative power of this special place.
Meet Our 2025 Annual Fund Quartermasters
Bruce & Melissa Stanley, Raleigh, NC
Relationship to Camp: Former Family Campers, children were campers, Duke University Divinity School Field Education Director, Summer Camp Minister in Residence, 2016-2024.
“We both love to sail. Our children started in the 3-day starter camp. We love the purity of camp, the simple and straightforward way people can find God and goodness at camp in creation.”
The Keith and Rhonda Nichols Family, Hickory, NC
Children: Battle, Maggie and Henry Campers: 2010-2022
“Camp Don Lee has given our children the opportunity to make lifelong friendships, create cherished memories and develop leadership skills. It has given them a place to have fun, spread Christ’s love and to grow in their faith. They are who they are today because of this place that God has blessed.”
“Camp Don Lee will always hold a special place in my heart for the unforgettable adventures, the community that was rooted in joy, and the lifelong friendships that have shaped the person I am today.”
Rob and Martha Ann Patterson, New Bern, NC
Martha Ann: Camper, 1971-1981, Summer Staff, 1983-1987, New Director Search Committee, 2014, and current board member, NC United Methodist Camp & Retreat Ministries
Rob: Camper, 1976-1979, Summer Staff, 1983-1987, Camp Don Lee Local Committee.
Children: Robbie and Charlotte, campers and summer staffers — Both were Family Campers, 1993-2011.
“Don Lee has always felt like home to our family. The community, the spiritual journey, and the lasting memories we’ve made there have become the foundation of our faith. Going back always feels like returning home. We look forward to seeing camp shape others in powerful ways as it did and still does for our family.”
Gray and Amy Wilson, Durham, NC
Campers: 1995-2004
Summer Staff: 2003 - 2008
“Camp Don Lee has been a part of our lives for 30 years, first as campers, then as staff, and now as parents of campers. Camp has given us the best friendships, amazing adventures, and invaluable lessons in confidence, grit, and faith. We continue to support Don Lee for our children and family and so that others may experience the Don Lee ministry.”
Thank you for your leadership for the 2025 Annual Fund.
The Don Lee Annual Fund gives all of us the opportunity to support the ongoing ministry that has meant so much to so many over the years and to help sustain it for future generations.
One Camper’s Story
“...Camp has given me a sense of purpose and clarity about my future and journey with God. I’ve learned that it’s ok to step out of your comfort zone and do things while being scared because those are the things that can be the most rewarding. I know coming to camp and excelling through everything would have made my grandma and family proud and I think it’s safe to say I found my second home at camp.”
– Ollie Murray, LIT I 2025, first time camper, in her message to the camp community, closing worship
One Summer Staffer’s Story
“Having served 2 years on summer staff, I am filled with a deep sense of accomplishment and gratitude. It has allowed me to make great friends, and give me first-hand experience with youth development and leadership. I am thankful for the incredible team at Camp Don Lee who have supported and encouraged me and for the chance to impact the lives of so many young people.”
– Stephen Healy, summer staff, sophomore, Wake Forest Univers ity
One Campership Family Story
“To have my child attend Camp Don Lee is very meaningful because it is a Christian-based camp and the morals align with what we believe in, all while my children have the best week. Thank you so much for your ongoing generosity that allows children like mine to attend camp for a week.”
– 2025 Summer Camp Campership Mom on her camper’s experience
2025 Don Lee Annual Fund Campa ign
Thank you to the 221 donors in 2024; our goal this year is 300 donors Give today to support the ongoing ministry of Camp Don Lee.
“There’s a place that I love best” —Camp Don Lee Song, Rev. Robert Regan, lyrics, and first camp director
Don Lee Center • 252-249-1106 • www.donleecenter.org
