Our History

    Our founder, Fritz Knapp, began sending kids to summmer camp out of a personal passion to connect City of Richmond students with the summer camp experience.  Inspired by his late father, a man committed to mentoring and serving at-risk children, and with admiration for the Fresh Air Fund based in New York, Knapp looked for many ways to get youth into the outdoors. In 2003, Knapp helped 3 students experience summer camp.  Knapp quickly found support for his model and managed to send 16 kids in 2004, 54 kids in 2005, and then partnered with Richmond Hill to send 96 City of Richmond children to five different summer camps in the summer or 2006. Dreams for our city's youth grew throughout 2006, and the Blue Sky Fund began to take shape.  We soon took steps to include more in-house programming throughout the school year in addition to funding camp tuitions.  In 2007 we chose to focus on our organizational structure and sustainability as an organization.  We incorporated as a non-stock (non-profit) organization under Virginia law, applied for tax exemption, began to pay staff, and formed our board of directors.  In October of 2007, Knapp moved out of day-to-day operations, leaving the executive leadership to Lawson Wijesooriya.

Today

    Today, Blue Sky Fund continues our work sending kids to summer camps, as well as provides year-round opportunities for children to learn through outdoor adventures. Our participants are building teamwork on the ropes course, testing their expertise with a fishing rod, and pushing their physical and emotional strength by backpacking in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Our year round programming includes unity projects such as Outward Bound Together, science environmental education programs like Explorers, weekly adventure programs in disadvantaged neighborhoods, and many outdoor expeditions such as fishing, rock climbing, and hiking.  See our program descriptions for details.  
 

Future Goals

     As we grow our year round programming, we set our sights on days ahead when we expect to offer programs to children around our city from K-12th grade.  We hope to expose the youngest to the wonder of nature and allow them safe places to play in green spaces.  We will nurture and mentor the middle school students to achieve more than they ever thought possible.  We will train the high school students to lead programs, serve as counselors at camp, and become marketable, foward thinking citizens.  We are committed to sending as many Richmond area students to camp as financially possible each summer.  We seek partnership with the Richmond City Public Schools to offer in-school experiential learning and extracurricular outdoor oppurtunities.