In 2023, the Alford Lake Camp Scholarship Committee announced that by unanimous vote the “The Alford Lake Camp Scholarship Fund” was renamed “The Jean Gentry McMullan Alford Lake Camp Scholarship Fund” to honor her outstanding legacy. “Mrs. M”, as she was affectionately known by generations of campers, passed away in May 2023, at the formidable age of 96, after dedicating 61 years as a leader of Alford Lake Camp.

 

To Jean, the Alford Lake Camp Scholarship was absolutely vital for extending the camp experience to a greater number of campers who would otherwise be unable to attend. She felt a commitment to carrying these scholarship campers through many years of attendance, thereby transforming their summer experiences throughout a period of important childhood development. 

 

In 1985, Jean, while on the board of The American Camping Foundation, helped set up a tax deductible Scholarship Program for American Independent camps in the for-profit category. She was instrumental to increasing the diversity of campers and bringing important lessons of camping to an expanded population.

 

Since its inception, the Alford Lake Camp Scholarship Fund has granted hundreds of thousands of dollars of scholarships, with increasing grants on an annual basis. In the summer of 2023, 18 campers were able to attend because of aid allowed by generous tax-deductible contributions from the Alford Lake Camp community.