Bound for Glory Camp offers something rare and remarkably effective: a free, four-week summer literacy camp for Transylvania County children ages 9–12 who are reading significantly below grade level. Every camper qualifies for free or reduced-cost lunch and has been identified by their school as needing intensive reading support. In a county where 46% of students in grades 3–5 read below proficiency and high-quality summer learning opportunities are scarce, Bound for Glory fills a critical gap — and the results speak for themselves. Last summer’s campers made an average of six months of reading growth in just four weeks.
What makes the program work is its intentional design. Small group sizes allow for truly individualized instruction grounded in the science of reading. Structured literacy instruction happens alongside enrichment activities — art, theater, archery, fishing, and weekend excursions — that build the vocabulary, background knowledge, confidence, and sense of belonging that struggling readers need to grow. The counselor-camper relationship is central to the model, and nearly half of campers return year after year.
Lake Toxaway Charities is proud to support Bound for Glory Camp’s staffing and staff training — the human foundation that makes everything else possible. Grant funding will help provide a program assistant, seven trained counselors, and the safety certifications that ensure every child has a summer experience that is not only transformative, but safe, supported, and joyful.
