The thing about momentum is that sometimes it moves fast.

Less than eight weeks after Rep. Chris Pappas and Rep. Chuck Edwards launched the House Camp Caucus, we now have our caucus Senate leaders.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Senator James Lankford (R-OK) have officially announced they will serve as Senate Camp Caucus cochairs. This means bipartisan leadership in both chambers.

The Camp Caucus is now full steam ahead.

Senator James Lankford: One of Camp’s Own

Before James Lankford was a United States Senator, he ran a camp.

For 15 years, he served as Director of Falls Creek Youth Camp in Oklahoma. Falls Creek is the largest youth camp in the United States with more than 51,000 individuals attending each and every summer. (Camp people, you read that number correctly.)

He knows camps inside and out — what it takes to run a huge summer program at scale. The camp staffing challenges, the importance of safety, and what camp means for the young people who walk through the gates. He's lived camp.

Having a Senate Republican cochair who ran a camp for 15 years is not something we take for granted.

Lankford brings credibility extending across the entire camp community. For any camp that has wondered whether this caucus is really built for them, Lankford's involvement is the answer.

In the Senate, he serves on the Finance Committee, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and chairs the Select Committee on Ethics.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen: A Record of Getting Things Done

Jeanne Shaheen represents New Hampshire, which is close to home.

Kenwood & Evergreen, the camp I've called home for more than 50 years, is located in the Granite State. I've known this family for years.

When the time came to talk about the Senate caucus, Senator Shaheen heard about it directly from us.

She's the first woman in American history elected both Governor and United States Senator. She sits on the Armed Services, Foreign Relations, and Appropriations Committees, and she has spent her career finding common ground where others don't bother to look.

New Hampshire is a small state in the best possible way. Relationships run deep, and they're real. Senator Shaheen being part of this caucus is a reflection of both.

What This Means

The House caucus is active and recruiting, with new members already joining. The Senate caucus now has its leadership and its first new members (more on that in the next installment).

Four cochairs across both chambers, two Democrats and two Republicans, all committed to giving camps a permanent voice in Washington.

And we are coming off a wildly successful Campfire on the Hill on April 29, which we will have more on next week! Our goal is to get as many caucus members signed on as we can as soon as possible, though we know it will take time.

Every office we've met has been invited. Recruitment is underway.

If you've been following this journey since the beginning, take a moment with this.

Six months ago, camps had no formal caucus on Capitol Hill. Today we have bipartisan, bicameral leadership and a growing roster of members in both chambers.

That’s momentum.

Join the movement. Get updates on the Camp Caucus and learn how you can support camp advocacy in DC.

Scott Brody is ACA’s Government Affairs co-chair and leads the association’s advocacy efforts in Washington, DC. He served as ACA National Board Chair during the COVID-19 crisis, helping guide camps nationwide through safe reopening while securing unprecedented federal support. A camp director for more than 30 years, Scott is Director Emeritus of Camps Kenwood & Evergreen and owner of Everwood Day Camp and Camp Sewataro. He has dedicated his career to advancing the life-changing impact of camp and championing its value on a national stage.