On a sultry Monday morning, about 80 kids gather near the Howard University campus. Some are excited, others anxiously cling to their parents, but they all have a common destination: Camp Moss Hollow in Markham, Va. Run by Family and Child Services of Washington, D.C. Inc., the summer camp offers inner-city children ages 7 to 14 a chance to commune with nature out of the shadow of their parents and peers.

"A deer! A deer!" exclaims first-time camper Jereme Wright as the bus makes its way down a gravel access road. For some, the bus ride to camp offers a rare glimpse of the horizon: fields dotted with trees instead of town houses, cabins instead of cracked pavement. For returning campers, it's a chance to revisit fond recollections of summers past. The kids live eight to a cabin, without air conditioning, fast food and television. Thrust into a group of unfamiliar faces, they will make fast friends and will leave with lasting memories.