The Newport News/Hampton, Virginia Chapter of Continental Societies, Inc. chartered a bus to Roanoke and visited Apple Ridge Farm Camp on Friday, July 22. The 32 youngsters and 12 chaperones met members of the Roanoke Chapter at Ci Ci’s Pizza for lunch and after lunch, a caravan of cars led the bus to the Apple Ridge Farm Camp.
Retiring founder Peter Lewis and staff met and led the group on tours of the campgrounds. His son, John Lewis, now taking over as Executive Director, shared science lessons in the James A. Meador Natural Science Center.
Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, Jean Roach, and Past National President, Florence Blount-Davis wanted the youth to experience the outdoor activities that feature rock climbing, swimming, gardening, education and technology. The Mid-Atlantic Region has been supportive of Apple Ridge Farm Camp since the 2006 Regional Meeting in Roanoke. Apple Ridge Farm Camp offers reading, language arts, science, writing, nature studies, career focus, college preparation at no cost to campers. STEM classes allow kids as young as six years old to learn to program computers.
While the children played on the basketball court, the chaperones toured the EBase USA Blue Ridge classroom. The Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) donated this 99-year-old boxcar to Apple Ridge Farm. Ten laptop computers are fully connected to the internet via a wireless router. The EBase classroom will focus on outdoor and sustainability education. The stand-alone classroom is run entirely on wind and solar power, serving as a laboratory and a model to educate students of all ages on how wind and solar power work.
Regional chaperones were excited and impressed with Apple Ridge Farm Camp and will encourage other chapters in our region to bring children for a site visit. Peter Lewis presented Apple Ridge Farm t-shirts to all who traveled from Hampton for this knowledgeable and fun packed experience that was enjoyed by all of the visitors.
Local Continentals who participated were Nancy Andrews, Natalie Bonilla, Loretta Freeman, Linda Journiette and President Donna W. Lee.
