THE REV. BEV COSBY
Camp Kum-Ba-Yah (CKBY), a non-profit day camp, was started in 1950 as a response to a wellspring of development in the city. One of our key founders, Bev Cosby, asked, “Where will our children play?” With that, the Cosby family began acquiring land around the family’s home and organizing activities for neighborhood children. In a few years, the program grew to include children from the inner city who were brought to the camp for swimming and other outdoor activities during the summer months. Camp Kum-Ba-Yah has been on the front lines, addressing social justice issues from the beginning. When Lynchburg City chose to close its public pools rather than integrate, Camp Kum-Ba-Yah’s integrated pools played a vital role in serving the black families in Lynchburg.
CKBY became a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 1983 and is not religiously affiliated. Over the years, our program has grown to where it is today, including over 600 children per summer and offering activities ranging from swimming, canoeing, archery, arts and crafts, pottery, gardening, earth education, hiking, outdoor cooking, Ropes and Challenge courses, and zip lines. CKBY has transitioned to year-round programming, providing outdoor nature programs for our pre-K and elementary school children. Campers and counselors arrive at the camp from all over the world, from Lynchburg’s wealthiest and poorest communities and varying religions and cultures. Up to 40% of our campers are provided with campership scholarships.
Nature Center was added to Camp Kum-Ba-Yah in 2022 as the property serves our community of all ages year-round. Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Nature Center is a member of the Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) and the American Camp Association (ACA). The camp is located on over 47 acres of stream valley terrain, with 42 acres in a conservation easement. We have eight campsites throughout our trails, four swimming pools, an indoor activities building, two outdoor pavilions, a 10,000 sq. ft. garden, three zip lines, a climbing wall, an archery site, a four-story tree house, outdoor classrooms, streams, and a beautiful pond for fishing, canoeing, and stream/lake ecology programming.
The Church of the Covenant owns the three-acre adjoining property, including the church house, the Lodge of the Fishermen, and Common Grounds Café.
The history of our organization is richly diverse, and it continues to focus its work on child development, family and school engagement, community building, relational leadership, outdoor learning, and environmental stewardship.
