page_title: Camp Agawam
section_title: Main Idea Program
hierarchical_section_title: Camp Agawam / Main Idea Program
caption_attribution_description: English: Recent camp directors (L to R): Dave Mason, Erik Calhoun, Garth Nelson
context_page_description: Camp Agawam is a boys' camp located on Crescent Lake in Raymond, Maine, U.S., and is one of the oldest summer camps for boys in the United States. The camp was founded in 1919 by Appleton A. Mason, and remained in the Mason family until 1985. The Boston Globe described the camp in 1988 as "an old camp with old ideas." However, in 2009, Senator Susan Collins described its program as "unique and exciting." It is noted for its award-winning charitable program, Main Idea, which enables underprivileged boys to attend the camp. The camp is run as a non-profit organization, directed by Erik Calhoun.
context_section_description: David Mason and his wife Peg founded the Main Idea program in 1971, a charitable project that sponsors attendance at the camp for disadvantaged boys from southern Maine towns. Mason states: "I wanted to do something for the boys living around here, who see out-of-state campers come and go each year, but think that camp is an experience that will never come their way." By 2005, the program had involved over 2,600 boys, and had gained local and national media coverage. Senator Susan Collins described the initiative in 2009 as "truly a meaningful investment in Maine's most precious resource—our children." As of 2014, the program is offered to over one hundred boys aged 9–15 years annually a free week's camp attendance in June.
caption: Recent camp directors (L to R): Dave Mason, Erik Calhoun, Garth Nelson
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