Community

Campers in the Wild: Carin Koeppel, Marissa Berridge and Stacey Berman

Helping create a California state law – Landing on a Times Square billboard – Starting a side hustle that’s totally crushing it?! We’re wild for the incredible stories we get to hear you – our campers – sharing about the impact you’re making on and in the world. Today, we celebrate from three corners of this absolutely ignited community of do-ers, each of whom has tapped into some of their magic and power within Campowerment’s gates.

Let’s jump in with snaps as:

CARIN KOEPPEL IMPACTS CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION IN HER SON’S LEGACY 👏👏👏

Two years ago, Carin Koeppel, a recipient of a Give Her Camp scholarship and now a committed return camper + member of our year-round community, tragically lost her 16-year-old son, Ryan to a car accident. On August 6, 2020, Ryan was struck and killed by a reckless driver as he was leaving the driving range following a night of hitting golf balls with his friends. Though the driver had a prior excessive speeding ticket, he walked away from the fatal accident only being charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and received 40 days of community labor and 6 months suspended license. 

Fast forward to 2022:  Carin and her family, after working with committed California politicians like Sen. Henry Stern, have helped to create “Ryan’s Law” – SB1472 –  that will go into effect statewide come Jan 1, 2023:  to explicitly give prosecutors the ability to charge a driver with a felony for participating in excessive speeding, sideshows, or street racing that result in a fatality. You can read more about Ryan’s Law, here.

Carin says, “I feel like we are getting some justice for [Ryan] so that his legacy will live on in this bill by making sure that future drivers that kill somebody don’t just walk away with a slap on the wrist. There needs to be greater consequences.” 

Watch this special ABC7 Eyewitness News report of Carin speaking about Ryan’s Law, here.

We are so proud.

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Marissa berridge TAKES ON times square ✨✨✨

To know Marissa Berridge – first-time Campower Ranger (counselor) this past Fall, student at San Diego State University and intern at the Walt Disney Company – is to absolutely adore her. And that’s *before* we gush. For Marissa, we’re certain we’ll continue to have reasons for celebration, but this time it’s for landing, via Disney, on a very large billboard in NYC’s Times Square!

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22 in ’22: ceremonies by stacey 🔔🔔🔔

Can you hear the bells?! Campowerment camper and full-time Nurse-turned-wedding officiant, Stacey Berman always gave great speeches and toasts at family events. So, when her niece asked her to officiate her wedding back in 2019, it was a no-brainer. After her niece’s nuptials, Stacey realized she loved officiating weddings and wanted to do it again (and again…and again). And BOOM: she created Ceremonies By Stacey offering non-denominational wedding ceremonies for all couples. After some virtual ceremonies and micro-celebrations in 2020, and about 6 or 7 weddings in 2021, Stacey joined some professional Facebook groups and focused on her marketing.

The timing was perfect for Ceremonies By Stacey to take off, and it did! Stacey’s closing out the 2022 wedding season with having officiated 22 weddings! Who could’ve guessed when Stacey shared in our Monthly Milestone Circle, where we celebrate our personal accomplishments with the community, “I think I’m gonna do this” she’d be coming back just a couple months later with “I’m really doing it!” And then some.

Stacey’s approach is simple, create the ceremony that works best for the couple, claiming, “I assure them that together we can create a ceremony that is unique and reflects them. In the end, I want to make their ceremony perfect.” Her plans for the future? Continuing to provide couples with personal and unique wedding ceremonies as well as some destination weddings in 2023. What started as a side hustle is now becoming a true passion-fueled business for Stacey. If you are in the market for someone like Stacey to officiate your wedding, check out ceremoniesbystacey.com.

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What are you creating?! What are you proud of?

Your milestones are our milestones, so if you’re doing something big, something that’s pushing you to live in line with your passion, TELL US WHAT YOU’RE UP TO >> HERE!

Thanks for being here.

From the campfire & beyond,
the Campowerment Crew