Rendezvous Days

It 's been too long since I've posted! July is always a hectic month for us. One of the reasons is that, for the last 23 years, my husband David has run the horseback riding portion of a summer kid's camp. He actually started the camp in 1985, as a crime prevention program when he was a law enforcement officer. The purpose of the program is to bring together kids from single parent families (those found through studies to be the most at-risk) with law enforcement officers during a week of mountain camping and wilderness activities. The kids learn that cops are people, too, and often form friendships that last well beyond their school years.

The program is called the Laramie River Valley Rendezvous. Besides horseback riding, the kids also mountain bike, hike, and whitewater raft. They spend 6 days in the mountains camping with the cops, and other support personnel, most notably members of the Colorado Army National Guard. Many of the Army personnel have returned from duty in either Iraq or Afghanistan, and they are true heroes to the kids. We even get a visit from a two star general who flies in via Blackhawk Helicopter....always a treat for the kids!

Here's a photo of two kids with their horses, and one of our volunteer wranglers.