Safe Summers launches parent pledge as camp safety movement grows

One year after the devastating Camp Mystic flood that claimed the lives of 27 campers and counselors, the organization founded by grieving families has launched a nationwide campaign aimed at making parents active partners in summer camp safety.

The newly renamed Safe Summers Foundation, formerly known as the Campaign for Camp Safety, announced its Safe Summers Parent Pledge on Monday. The initiative encourages parents, grandparents and community members to ask camp operators detailed questions about emergency planning before children head off to camp.

The effort comes as States, including Alabama, continue adopting stronger safety standards in response to the July 4, 2025 tragedy at Camp Mystic in Texas. The disaster claimed the lives of the "Heaven's 27," including Sarah Marsh, an 8-year-old from Birmingham whose death inspired Alabama lawmakers to pass the Sarah Marsh Heaven's 27 Camp Safety Act (HB381) earlier this year. The measure was signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey in April and takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. It establishes Statewide emergency preparedness standards for overnight camps, including flood planning, weather monitoring, evacuation procedures and emergency communication requirements.

The foundation's new pledge centers on a free resource titled "Know Before You Go: A Parent's Guide to Camp Safety," which helps families understand what questions to ask about emergency preparedness and what answers they should expect from camp operators.

"The Safe Summers Parent Pledge is about helping families become informed, constructive partners in the camp safety conversation," said Murphey Sears, Chief Development Officer of Safe Summers Foundation. "Parents should know what questions to ask, and camps should be supported in putting strong safety practices in place. When families and camps work together, our children and youth are better protected."

The organization says the pledge reflects its belief that protecting children requires cooperation between camps, parents and local communities rather than relying on camp operators alone.

The announcement also marks the next phase of the movement launched by the families of the Heaven's 27.

Led by parents whose children died while attending Camp Mystic, the Safe Summers Foundation says its mission is to improve camp safety through prevention, preparation and protection while preserving the tradition of summer camp.

According to the organization, the campaign has already helped advance camp safety legislation in Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma and Missouri. Through its Safe Summers Fund, operated in partnership with The Safety Navigator, the group awarded $232,000 in grants to nonprofit summer camps across Texas to help implement new safety standards serving more than 25,000 campers this year.

"What began as an urgent campaign in Texas has grown into a broader effort to make camp safer for every child," said Blake Bonner, co-founder of the Safe Summers Foundation. "We believe deeply in summer camp and in the life-changing experiences it gives children. Our goal is to help ensure that camps have the tools, resources, and safety practices they need so that when risks arise, staff are prepared, children are protected, and families can send their children to camp with the same confidence as any other child care center."

In Alabama, lawmakers moved quickly after Sarah Marsh's death to establish the State's first comprehensive emergency preparedness requirements for overnight camps.

Sponsored by Rep. David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook), HB381 requires camps to obtain an emergency preparedness license from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. Camps must maintain emergency and evacuation plans, install redundant emergency notification systems that do not rely solely on internet or cellular service, use NOAA weather radios, conduct staff background checks, coordinate with local emergency officials and provide parents with summaries of their emergency plans upon request. The law also prohibits new cabins from being built in floodplains and creates a Youth Camp Safety Advisory Council to oversee implementation.

Safe Summers Foundation now operates through three primary initiatives:

• The Safe Summers Parent Pledge, which encourages families to become informed partners in camp safety.
• The Safe Summers Fund, which provides grants to qualifying nonprofit camps to implement new safety standards.
• The Safe Summers Action Fund, which supports policy changes and legislative reforms aimed at improving camp safety nationwide.

The foundation was established by a coalition of parents whose daughters died in the Camp Mystic flood. The organization says its mission is to ensure other families never experience a similar tragedy while preserving the American tradition of summer camp through research, advocacy and grant programs.

Parents interested in taking the pledge or downloading the free camp safety guide can find additional information at SafeSummers.org.