Our Mission
Project HEAL (Human, Environmental, and Animal Links) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting children with nature. Our mission is to enrich the lives of children through experiences that provide meaningful interaction with the environment, deepen connection to community, and develop the human/animal bond.
Camp Creek Run is the name of our beautiful 50-acre camp & nature preserve, and it's also the name of our summer camp program. In addition to summer camp, Project HEAL offers year round environmental education opportunities at Camp Creek Run for children, families, school groups, and scout troops.
Follow the links at the top of the page to learn more about these programs.
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Camp Creek Run
Summer Camp Program
Camp Creek Run is a state-accredited, dynamic summer day camp program for children ages 4-12. ​Our summer program's philosophy is embodied in the phrase "Respect for the self, respect for others, and respect for all living things." We believe that instilling a respect and understanding for the natural world fosters a child's connection to community and other human beings. Our strengths lie in the quality and training of our staff and the depth of our programming. We value fun, adventure, creativity, learning, safety, and diversity.
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Our summer camp program runs for eight weeks, and children ages 4-12 can enjoy the full eight-week summer program or choose flexible camping sessions. However many sessions your child attends our day camp, you can be sure that their time with us will be fun-filled, educational, and inspirational. Follow the links below to learn more about our summer camp program, including open houses, hours, rates, registration, and photos.
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Staff
Keara R. Giannotti
Executive Director & Director of EcoStudy Programming
Keara is an environmental educator with over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, ranging from summer camp and children’s services to healthcare planning, grant writing, and wildlife conservation & rehabilitation. In addition to designing and directing Project HEAL's environmental education programming, she is also the camp director of Camp Creek Run, which she co-directs with her husband Neil King. Since founding Project HEAL in 2003, Keara has developed an intimate knowledge of the camp's 50 acres, which she enjoys sharing with her students, campers, and their parents. She believes that children are born naturalists with the urge to explore and connect, and credits her students with deepening her understanding of ecology through their questions and discoveries. As a naturalist, her interests are broad, but she has a particular interest in birds, insects, fungi, and foraging.
Ms. Giannotti is a Rutgers Environmental Steward (RES) and a Duke Farms Master Ecologist, and holds an MPA and an MS in Natural Resources with an emphasis on Environmental Education & Interpretation.
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Neil R. King
Co-Director of Camp Creek Run
Neil King is the co-camp director of Camp Creek Run, Project HEAL's summer program. Neil is an educator and artist who specializes in illustration and graphic design, and has published several graphic novels and children's books of his own creation. He has been working with high school students in the Collingswood School District for over 20 years, teaching web & graphic design and art history. As an educator, Neil encourages students to push their creative boundaries, embrace new technologies, and gain knowledge of the art world. Neil's organizational skills, artistry, and compassion serve him well in the capacity of camp director, helping us build a warm, fun, friendly, and creative community at Camp Creek Run.
Danielle Giannotti
Assistant Director & Camp Family Liaison
Danielle serves as Project HEAL's assistant director in addition to coordinating camp programming and orienting new camp families. She is a Master Gardener who leads gardening classes for our school trips and also teaches cooking at camp, showing campers how to incorporate healthy foods from our garden into their diets. Danielle has a background in customer service & sales, incoming college freshman coordination, event planning, and nutrition counseling. In her off-time, Dani and her daughter Molly love baking and building fairy houses which you might find tucked away along the trails at camp.
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Our Camp & Nature Preserve
Camp Creek Run became the home of Project HEAL in 2003 when we partnered with the Burlington County Freeholders, NJ's Green Acres Program, and The Trust for Public Land to purchase its 40 acres from the Foster family and preserve it from development through conservation grant funding. In 2008, we were awarded further conservation grant funding from the same partners to preserve an adjacent 10 acre property from the Radcliffe family. Through the conservation effort of these organizations and families, Camp Creek Run is now 50 acres in size. The camp's natural features include wooded nature trails, meadows, a spring fed lake, and a southbranch tributary of the Rancocas Creek. We manage the camp as a nature preserve and are committed to enhancing wildlife habitat with an eye toward maintaining its biodiversity. Camp Creek Run is a unique "outdoor classroom" where we hope children can learn about local ecology for years to come.