Founded in 1970 by retired state trooper Albert Vish, Camp Cadet began with one location out of state police Troop D in Butler, explained state trooper and camp director Lauren Lesher.

That camp’s success has led to the creation of between 27 and 30 camps across the state, she said.

“Camp Cadet’s mission is to expose young people to the elements needed to allow for an orderly and law abiding society, to help develop qualities of discipline and self esteem and to be a place where cadets learn that what they do makes a difference, not only in their own lives, but also in the lives of the community around them,” Lesher said.

Although 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of the camp, it is its 48th year of operation due to closure necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For several years, the camp has been held at the Little League World Series complex in South Williamsport.

“Little League has been fantastic with us. They help us do laundry, they help us with maintenance and things like that, they help with the food. It’s just been awesome,” she said.

The cadets are made up of sixth and seventh-graders, ages 12 and 13, Lesher said.

Although many of the cadets may have an interest in law enforcement careers, that interest is not a prerequisite, she said.

“Honestly, it’s just a week-long camp where the kids can come and learn that you can have fun, while having structure and discipline,” Lesher said while adding that teamwork is heavily promoted, as the 12-person companies of cadets are made up of children from across Lycoming County.

“For example, when we do room inspections, their beds need to be made the way that we show them, and there may be days where the rooms get tossed and they have about 10 to 15 minutes to get them ready for inspection. And it’s cool to watch them all come together because some of them are really good at making beds, so they’re helping each other, some are getting the beds put back where they need to be, and some of them are vacuuming the floor and dusting the blinds,” Lesher said.

“They learn to work cohesively, and it’s awesome to see,” she said.

During the week-long camp, cadets go through a series of rotating lessons, including field exercises, range training, utilizing pellet guns, crime and crash scene investigations, with vehicles provided by Freedom Towing, and more.

One goal is to instill in the cadets the core values received during training at the state police academy, including integrity, honor, trust and discipline, according to Lesher.

“With PT, for instance, some people might not be as fast or as good at push ups as others, so some people might be done, but we try to stress that if you owe us, then show us that you have integrity and finish through to your 20,” Lesh said.

“But we also try to show them that they can do things, and that’s one of the biggest positives for me,” she added.

“‘I can’t’ is not a phrase we use here at Camp Cadet. We go over that at orientation on day one,” Lesher said.

“But somebody that doesn’t have the confidence they need, and then all of a sudden they do it, you can just see that shift. You can see the smile on their face. They’re so proud of themselves and we’re all proud of them. It’s just awesome to see them build that confidence,” she said.

The cadets also get instruction on self defense courtesy of Scott Diggs, owner and operator of 570 Jiu Jitsu, 1307 Park Ave., Studio 9-210N.

“I don’t explicitly talk about sexual assaults, but it’s kind of what we’re getting at here,” Diggs said of the lessons he provides to the cadets.

“Generally, when these attacks happen, people want to take you to another location, so we’re showing them how to resist from being pushed, how to resist being pulled, how to break grips,” he explained, calling these techniques, “life skills.”

“Not only does it instill confidence and security in the kids, but it gives them real world techniques that they can use to defend themselves and other people,” Diggs said.

“It’s not predicated upon strength or size, but everything we do is based upon leverage and timing, so that gives a weaker, smaller opponent mechanical advantage against a bigger, stronger, more aggressive attacker,” he explained.

“So this sets them up to be able to defend themselves and others and it gives them the confidence in knowing that they have those tools,” Diggs said.

Camp attendees are also offered the opportunity to tour the World of Little League Museum and engage with its interactive displays.

With a counselling staff made up entirely of state and local law enforcement, as well as a number of first responders, Lesher also sees this as an opportunity to build positive, strong relationships between the youth and law enforcement, as well as to stress that they are real people behind the uniform.

“We encourage all of our counselors to get to know the cadets and talk to them,” she said.

“We get to teach them that not only are we law enforcement officers that you might see on the worst day of your life, unfortunately, but we’re also people. We’re parents, we’re siblings, we have other things going on in our lives too, just like you do, and they realize, there’s a person underneath that badge,” Lesher said.

Cadets are charged a small registration fee that helps to cover the cost of insurance, while the camp covers the costs of all the amenities through the donations from the community and its businesses.

“Camp Cadet across the state is a nonprofit organization that runs solely on donations from the communities and businesses. So, we get a lot of local support from not only the businesses, but also all the local law enforcement officers,” Lesher said.

An example of local cooperation came Tuesday as cadets and counselors alike received a reprieve from the scorching temperatures courtesy of the South Williamsport Fire Department, who supplied one of their pumpers as a makeshift sprinkler system.

Community support also allows for sponsorships to be offered to potential cadets facing financial hardships.

“If there is a cadet or a potential cadet that is struggling to get that registration fee, all they need to do is reach out to us and we will find somebody to sponsor them,” she stressed.

For more information on Camp Cadet or to make a donation, please reach out to Lesher or Corporal Jen McMunn at the state police barracks in Montoursville or visit their website at lycomingcampcadet.org.