STARS Camp is a summer camp that Elise Smith and Gabby Maoz have organized for the past couple of summers. Wanting to leave a notable impact on the Wilsonville community, the pair sparked an idea during their freshman year that would be fun for everyone.

Gabby Maoz, who is now a junior, explained the steps that her and her partner had to take in order for their idea to become a reality. Maoz announced that “[they] started off by planning a few ideas of what the camp would look like, and then started to look for a space to do it.”

After checking with Parks and Recreation to see if they could use one of their shelters, the pair discovered that Parks and Recreation was able to help them with other aspects as well, such as cost, liability, and advertising for the camp in their activity guide. Maoz and Smith then reached out to their friends and family in order to find volunteers to be camp counselors.

With the idea of wanting to leave a memorable impact in their community, Maoz goes more into depth, explaining that “the purpose of creating the camp was to give kids in Wilsonville a chance to go to a summer camp for free, who may not have otherwise been able to have this experience.”

She continues by adding, “We also have lunch and snacks provided during the camp and do activities such as tie dye, that gives the kids a new shirt to bring home.”

Elise Smith, who is a junior as well, talked more about participation rates and how STARS camp has grown since the first year. Smith noted that “ We advertised on Facebook, put up fliers, and even had a page in the Wilsonville activity guide. That helped us expand a lot.”

With only about 6 volunteers and 20 campers during the first summer of STARS camp, Smith announced that last year “We ended up with about double the counselors and had over 40 kids participate!”

This year, Maoz and Smith are continuing to advertise the camp in a similar way, in hopes to expand even more. The pair have done an incredible job taking action and expressing inclusivity throughout their community. There is no doubt that they have accomplished exactly what they have set out to do, leaving a lasting impact on the Wilsonville community.