2023-24 Scholarships

As a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit, Calleva is happy to offer a variety of scholarships to summer campers, students and scouts who are interested in participating in our programs.  Our main scholarship fund is fed by revenue from Markoff’s Haunted Forest, an annual event which we organize on our farm every October.

Our summer camp scholarship process is under the oversight of an independent scholarship committee. Awards are announced before the end of February.

Scholarships are awarded on a needs basis to campers who cannot afford to pay full tuition for Calleva summer camp. Several specialty scholarships have been created to honor specific individuals who are inspiring to our extended community:

The Walk Like Will Scholarship was established in 2020 & is funded by the Hovis Family (Kristy, Gerald & Sophia) in honor of their son & brother Will, who was a true Calleva-style adventurer. In his 12 short years, Will played almost every known sport, hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim, played the trumpet, whitewater rafted, snowboarded, snorkeled, surfed, fished, crabbed, and did a thousand other wonderful things a kid can do. In January 2019 Will was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a rare, aggressive, and mostly terminal form of brain cancer. After a courageous battle, he succumbed to cancer in April 2020. Will LOVED being outdoors and enjoyed kayaking, rock climbing, rafting & hiking. We’re honored to join with the Hovis Family to present a camp scholarship in his name. It’s a fitting way to make Will’s memory a blessing by enabling other kids to experience the joy of nature like he did. To learn more about Will, visit walklikewill.org

The Walk Like Will scholarship is offered for a Calleva camper between the ages of 8-12 who meets the following criteria:

• They are pursuing their first or second Calleva summer
• They are registered for a Sampler or Explorer camp week (an introduction to a variety of outdoor adventure sports); and
• They express a genuine personal interest in an outdoor adventure experience.

The George Kephart Scholarship Fund was created in 2012 to honor a friend and mentor who exemplified the values that have helped us evolve into the organization we are today. George served as a Commissioner of M-NCPPC, Trustee on the Maryland Environmental Trust and the Montgomery County Historical Society Trust, Chair of Barnesville School, a Director of the Mooseum, and on the Montgomery Countryside Alliance Advisory Board. George valued community and was a tireless advocate for local farms and the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve. His namesake scholarship is intended to support:

• Poolesville campers enrolling in Calleva’s Growing Green summer programs;
• Montgomery County high school students undertaking environmental/sustainability projects as part of their academic year; and
• Scout projects at Calleva Farm, with a specific emphasis on sustainable agriculture or environmental/resource conservation.

The Hal Magleby Scholarship Fund was created in the early 2000s to honor a Calleva camper who spent several summers with us before being diagnosed with a terminal illness. His last wish was to spend a week on a Calleva high adventure. During a full week out in the wilderness with a group of high-energy Calleva staff and teenage campers, Hal hiked, climbed, paddled and camped all over the Linville Gorge (in North Carolina). To honor Hal’s strength, passion and incredible perseverance, each year Calleva awards the Hal Magleby Scholarship to campers in Calleva’s West Virginia High Adventures (participants must be 12-16 years old).

McEwan Award for Kayaking: Tom McEwan has dedicated his life to getting more people involved in paddlesports. The founder of Calleva’s kayaking program and a pioneer of whitewater kayaking in the Potomac watershed, he continues to mentor and inspire young people on and off the water. In his honor, Calleva has set aside funding to promote diversity in paddlesports by enrolling campers in our Maryland or Virginia Kayaking Camp programs. The award is open to all, but will be given with preference to youth from underrepresented populations.