THAXTON, Va. — To many people, the thought of summer camp conjures images of the great outdoors – swimming, hiking, canoeing and making new friends – memories that are with you through life.
To Cody and Cameron Blankenship, memories of camp include developing a friendship that blossomed into love and then marriage.
Cody and Cameron (formerly Hambrick) met in June 2004 at the Southwest Virginia Woodmen of the World Rangers Camp. At the time, Cody had returned from his tour of duty in Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine and was in need of a job. Cameron had worked at the Woodmen of the World camp since 2003 and returned to work as a lifeguard and a climbing wall instructor.
At the camp, they both worked as counselors, assisting young campers with daily activities such as swimming, archery and the camp's climbing wall.
When the two first met, neither felt it was nothing out of the ordinary.
Despite Cameron's initial shyness, late evening walks at camp eventually brought them together.
"During those walks, we talked about everything we could think of," Cameron said."Throughout the summer, we began dating and getting to know each other even more."
When camp ended, Cameron and Cody remained in contact with each other with the aid of weekend visits, the Internet and cell phones.
That October, four months after they met, Cody proposed to Cameron.
"It did not take us long to decide that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together," Cody said.
Cody and Cameron were married on June 24, 2006. Present at the ceremony were 200 of their closest family and friends, including Tom Ross, director of the Woodmen of the World Rangers Camp.
Woodmen of the World was founded in 1890 as a fraternal benefit organization. Today, Woodmen of the World offers insurance, annuities, mutual funds*, and 529 college savings plans*. Approximately 800,000 Woodmen of the World members across the country share a commitment to family, community and country.