Summer camps are more than just a place to keep kids busy while they are on school break, said the new Director of Marion Recreation’s Camp Silvershell, Donna Hemphill.

For Hemphill, they are about “team building.”

“What’s great is the kids learn to interact with other kids and have that social and team building interaction,” Hemphill said.

“The kids in our camp are not all from Marion so these are interactions they might not get everyday. It’s a different atmosphere.”

Starting June 25 Hemphill will lead students entering grades one through six in the second year of the summer program at Silvershell Beach.

There will be four, two-week sessions of the camp, which will run until August 17.

Hemphill said she and Director of the Marion Recreation Department Jody Dickerson have planned a number of activities for the kids including daily swim lessons, arts and crafts, sports, canoeing and field trips.

While she may be new to the camp, Hemphill said it was her kids and their experience at the camp last year that prompted her to get involved.

“As a whole the kids just enjoyed it,” Hemphill said.

“There’s such an air of fun about it. From the moment I dropped my kids off until the moment I picked them up, they just had the biggest smiles on their faces.”

Dickerson agreed.

“For a community this size we offer a lot of programs, and one of those I’m most proud of is Camp Silvershell,” Dickerson said.

“There are a lot of activities for the kids to do. We also give local residents summer jobs as counselors. A lot of the counselors are planning on going to school for education so it’s a place for learning, too. It’s really a win-win situation for everybody.”