Camp Skywild Origin Story
Camp Tall Tree - The Past
It started with a dream in a Michigan basement. Scott Arizala and Sylvia van Meerten observed so many spaces where kids who think differently are constantly told they’re doing it wrong. On that monumental September day, they dreamed up a world where there could be far more ways to “get it right”. That dream came to life as Camp Tall Tree, where they spent the next 7 years gathering the best grown ups and coolest kids they could find to have THE MOST fun for a week of adventures each August.
Over those years, they ran Main Camp for kids on the autism spectrum, Siblings Program for neurotypical siblings of a child with a diagnosis, Explorers for adults on the spectrum to practice life skills, and Peers for teens invested in building neurodiverse friendships.
In 2021, they passed the torch. Breezy (Kristin) McMaster, Maggie Mitchell, Sprinks (Erin) Ross, and Jack Schott, longtime Camp Tall Tree directors, planted new roots for the program at the Howell Nature Center and loaded the memory books up with 3 more sessions of Camp Tall Tree. They brought the Explorer Program back from its pandemic hiatus and added Wild Wonders animal programming to the fun filled days. They swam, sang, hiked, climbed, zipped, tie dyed, danced, laughed, and filled cabins with strangers who became friends and friends who became family.
Fast forward to a pontoon boat floating on a lake mid summer 2023. Maggie, Breezy, Sprinks, and Jack laid across the benches, reflecting on the magical week they just shared with 70 incredible kids in those same waters. They danced around in the memories from the week and celebrated all the camper victories they witnessed: kids conquering fears, making a first friend, laughing so hard chocolate milk shot out of their nose.
Camp Skywild - The Future
As much fun as they had year after year, they knew it was time to dream bigger. They dropped the anchor on the pontoon boat and circled around Maggie and her whiteboard, lake meeting now in session. It was that special day in their nautical office they decided they could no longer keep the magic to themselves, and devised a plan to bring the mission and heart of camp to more of the world.
The journey continues today. In 2024, they will run their first summer as Camp Skywild, a new multi regional program inspired by their years together at Camp Tall Tree. They’re planting a new dream as they start this next chapter, and with that, a new name and a new home in Michigan (YMCA Camp Timbers) and New York (Camp Reimagined) but the same love and spirit they’ve shared over the last decade running camps together. They plan to continue expanding their camps to other parts of the country and helping lots of organizations reimagine what “getting it right” looks like in their programs on the way to designing a world that better fits all kids.
