Halfway to Ely, the minivan overflowed with little kids, diapers, sippy cups, and broken Cheerios. The cartop carrier was lashed to the roof, and the wheels rolled to a stop for another potty break.

A transplant from Texas, Kimberly Scott was on her way to YMCA Camp du Nord in June 2004 for the first time with the family, and remembers thinking, “Well, if all this doesn’t work out, we can always go home!”

The worry came to nothing. Despite some rain, that first week at camp became a legendary family experience, filled with age-group adventures, cookouts, and quiet afternoon nap times. “We were hooked from the get-go!”

Kimberly and her family, including children Ian, Hannah, and Julia, found fun, friendships, community, service, and something bigger than themselves — keeping all of them hooked on Camp. The kids advanced through program experience into du Nord’s Leadership Development Program, and eventually onto the summer staff teams.

Kimberly’s own engagement rapidly grew too: significant new friendships that included camp luminaries like Sue and Doug Nelson, Skip Wilke, and former camp leaders Tom Kranz, Dave Palmer and Niki Geisler — women’s retreats, advisory board, history book committee, and co-chairing du Nord’s 2017 capital campaign. It’s obvious that Kimberly fell in love with family camp.

“For decades, Camp has given so much to me and my family, and as I began to consider philanthropic priorities in my estate, it was important to carry forward the Y’s mission so other families can have similar opportunities.”

Today, Kimberly serves as co-chair of the Be the Light campaign at YMCA Camp Northern Lights, an effort focused on building a dining hall at the Y’s newest family camp, which coincidentally got its start as an expansion idea that surfaced by the du Nord board during Kimberly’s tenure.

“Kimberly’s leadership has been nothing short of transformational,” said Niki Geisler, former YMCA Camp du Nord executive director. “As our Volunteer Extraordinaire she brought vision, integrity, and tireless dedication to the camp mission. Her generosity — both in spirit and resources — has helped shape the future of our beloved YMCA family camps, ensuring that generations of families will continue to experience the joy, connection, and growth that only these special places can offer.”