Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Fall 2013 Issue | Page 14

Scenes of
Summer

A glimpse of the fun and
fellowship of the 2013 summer
camp season at Shrine Mont.

Photo: Phil Woodson

Service and outreach are the highlight of the Senior High
Youth Camp experience.

Photo: Alex Palin

A member of the Explorers’ Camp gets up-close-and-personal
with nature.

Photo: Alex Palin

Members of the Explorers’ Camp focused on sustainability when
they built rain collection barrels this summer.

Camps continued from page 11

I have another 11-year-old, too.” That summer, LaRoy went
back to camp, and brought his foster brother, Robert. I will
never forget picking up those jubilant kids, Sophie, LaRoy
and Robert, at the end of the session. High on the love of
camp and the Spirit, they babbled on with happy stories on
the way home.

As we approached Richmond, though, I noticed that
LaRoy was suddenly quiet. He almost seemed ill. I asked him
what was wrong, and his response was heartbreaking: “You
know how some kids at camp get homesick?” he asked. “I
feel campsick.” The reality of his life in this new foster home
was flooding back. I promised him that no matter what, he
could go back to camp next year. He was skeptical. “But I
might not be here then,” he said. “I move around a lot.” I
reminded him that he had moved since the last time I saw
him, and that I had found him. He considered that for a
moment. “OK,” he said.

From that afternoon, we committed to being a
constant in LaRoy’s life. When the foster system decided
later that year to move him out of town, we jumped in
with both feet and decided to adopt. He moved in with
us permanently the following summer, July 2007, the day
before he and Sophie headed back to St. George’s, Session
III. While he no longer needed a scholarship to go to camp,
thanks to the gifts of generous Episcopalians who gave to
the scholarship fund, Robert, still in foster care, was able to
join Sophie and LaRoy every year until they all “graduated”
at 15. The scholarships that LaRoy received as a 10- and
12

Virginia Episcopalian / Fall 2013

Janet Peyton and Chris Francoise join their son, LaRoy, upon his
high school graduation.

11-year-old connected him to a family and a community that
would change the trajectory of his life forever. On behalf
of my son LaRoy, and all of the kids like him who have been
forever changed by their experiences at Shrine Mont, thank
you for donating generously to camp scholarships.
Janet Peyton and her husband, Chris Francoise, are members of
St. James’s, Richmond. Janet serves as vice president of the Shrine
Mont Board. LaRoy is now a freshman at Radford University.

Camps continued on page 13