As an adoptee and member of Holt's marketing and development team, Courtney Young has been connected with Holt for most of her life. After spending a week with Holt families at an annual campout in Florence, Oregon, Courtney reflects on Holt's legacy — old and new.

Every summer, people from all over the country head to the forests and coast to enjoy some of the finest camping in the Pacific Northwest.  Oregon is a beautiful state, a sea of greenery that spans 30 million acres, covered in Douglas fir, ponderosa pines, evergreens and forestry that almost seem magical.  It’s nature’s finest playground, and I grew up with it right in my backyard.  But, alas, I am one of those Oregonians who has failed to ­­­­­­enjoy all that this wonderful state has to offer.  I’ve never loved “the great outdoors” or anything short of “manicured nature.”

That was, until a group of Holt adoptive families who escape on a weeklong camping trip to Oregon every summer invited me to join them.  But first, a little Holt history:

It’s hard to comprehend just how much Holt has done in nearly 60 years and how many lives it has touched. It’s even harder to imagine when you add the mass ripple effect of families and adoptees preserving the mission of the agency for five decades. Portland Area Holt Families (PAHF) formed in 2008 with the purpose of providing parental support and cultural awareness for international adoptive families.  However, years before, the same group that started PAHF began hosting an annual family camp out at Honeyman State Park on Oregon’s central coast — a tradition they have continued since 1987.