"You never know where a spark may drop and a fire begin to run."
– George Manville Fenn
It was 2018, and we had just begun planning for another summer camp at a university in South Dakota—what would be my fourth year working as a counselor. Just before registration opened, the news broke. The university withdrew their support for the camp, effectively bringing to an end an 30+ year tradition. The staff was crushed, our campers were heartbroken, and generations of camp alumni and families quickly flocked to our Facebook page to demand an explanation.
Something had to be done. And within weeks, the Catalyst Collective was launched.
In those few weeks, we needed a new host school, name, and brand identity—an opportunity as exciting as it was challenging. I wanted something that would immediately stand out as a significant departure from the old camp, while retaining some semblance of familiarity.
Change became our core message. We were at a new school, but that was something for our campers (called "catalysts") to be excited about. This was the camp they knew and loved. And so much more.
