Project Morry was founded in 1995, inspired by the vision of camping world hero, Morry Stein. Morry recognized the significant positive long-term impact camping had on the lives of the young people who attended his camp, Echo Lake, and believed this experience should be shared with children from all socioeconomic groups.

His goal was to give all children, regardless of economic status, the invaluable gift of summer camp and a consistent year-round program. Morry was working on achieving this goal when his life was taken in a plane crash in 1994.

Determined to make Morry’s dream a reality, his friends, colleagues, family and campers created Morry’s Camp the following year. Every year since, the program has grown in scope and impact into the Project Morry you see today. From its beginnings as a summer camp, Project Morry is now a robust ten-year program that supports the academic and life success of hundreds of young people year-round.

The incredible partnerships with our community, donors and young people have allowed our programs to flourish and enabled new programs to take shape as we carry out our mission together.

Project Morry is Morry’s dream come true.

Beginning:

Project Morry was founded in 1995 inspired by Morry Stein, a camping world hero.

Goal:

All children should be given the opportunity of a summer camp.

Now:

Project Morry now provides a ten-year program to hundreds of students every year.

Morry’s Story

Morry Stein

(1936–1994)

“Morry's smile alone made others smile, too.”

American Camp Association

Morry was born in 1936 in the small town of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. He was the younger of two sons and a natural born athlete, excelling particularly in football and baseball. He played minor league baseball and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, however he chose to attend Brandeis University, one of the 68 colleges that offered him a full scholarship to play football.

A 1958 graduate of Brandeis University, Morry was inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame. He also received an M.B.A. from University of Chicago and went on to work in marketing and management consulting. And then, Morry found his calling.

For 30 years, Morry and his wife, Amy, operated Camp Echo Lake in Warrensburg, New York, one of America’s premier children’s summer camps. He was 28 years old when they bought the camp from Amy’s parents, who founded it in 1946.

He served as president of the American Camp Association and its New York section, as well as president of the New York State Camp Directors Association.

Morry recognized the long-term impact that camping had on the lives of the upper middle class children attending Camp Echo Lake. He very much wanted this experience to be shared with children from all socioeconomic groups. In 1970, Morry founded the Echo Lake Idea, a week-long scholarship camping program for children who could not otherwise afford camp.

For Morry, this scholarship program was just the beginning. Morry believed that every child should have the opportunity to enjoy a fun-filled time away from home in a beautiful and safe environment. He also believed in the power of a positive and consistent year-round presence in a child’s life. Morry was the Chairperson of the American Camping Foundation, an organization that raised over $1 million to send children from under-resourced communities to summer camp. On October 28, 1994, he traveled to Martinsville, Indiana to head the Foundation’s Annual Board Meeting. The meeting was charged with excitement as the organization was nearing its fundraising goal, and the gift that Morry felt was so needed was about to be given.

Sadly, Morry’s life was taken on his return flight home, in the crash of American Eagle Flight 4184 near Roselawn, Indiana.

On October 31, 1994, the camping world lost a true hero. Morry’s spirit and important vision continue today through Project Morry.