Nestled on 150 acres in Mouth of Wilson, VA, Cheerio on the New River is unique in that we offer a blend of onsite camp activities which fully utilize the New River and the property, while also continuing to offer off-site trip adventures.
Our goal is to expose campers to the natural beauty of the great outdoors in a challenging, fun, and memorable camp experience. We are dedicated to helping your camper build a lifetime of love for the outdoors.
Summer 2022 Sessions
We will be offering one week sessions for the 2022 season.
2022 Dates
- Session 1 | June 12-18
- Session 2 | June 19-25
- Session 3 | June 26 - July 2
- Session 4 | July 3-9
- Session 5 | July 10-16
- Session 6 | July 17-23
- Session 7 | July 24-30
- Session 8 | July 31 - August 6
- Session 9 | August 7-13
Activities
The beauty of having 150 acres surrounded by the New River, it gives campers the opportunity to experience as much adventure as possible without having to leave the camp property! This summer we will be bringing some of the off-site trips back home while also offering our traditional activities.
Onsite
Same fun, closer to home!
- Mountain Biking
- Target Sports
- ALL NEW! Tree Climbing
- Orienteering/GPS
- Arts & Crafts
- Outdoor Cooking
- Canoeing
- Kayaking
- Paddle Boarding
- Fly Fishing/Fishing
- Raft/Boat Building
- Camping
- Hiking/ Backpacking
- Volleyball
- Frisbee Golf/Ultimate Frisbee
- Gaga
- and more!
Adventure Trips
- Rock Climbing
Meet the Staff
Jim joined our Cheerio family in 2004 as a Senior Counselor and Lifeguard and loved it so much that he decided to make this his career. Since his start, Jim has taken on the roles of head counselor, events director, and trip leader prior to joining Cheerio in a full-time capacity. Having worked at both of Cheerios’ locations, Jim is excited to bring knowledge and traditions from both camps to the river as we gear up for the summer of 2022!
Outside of camp, you can find Jim out hiking on local trails, riding bikes with friends, Canoeing down various rivers, hanging out with his beautiful wife, or playing with their three dogs (Louise, Graham, and Trout). At camp, you will be able to find Jim working alongside staff to ensure all activities are taught in a safe, fun manner and that each child learns something along the way.
Jim and the other staff work hard to ensure that camp will always be a special place as it allows kids to disconnect from the world of social media and find a connection (and hopefully a love) with the outdoors. They want camp to provide a place where they can be their authentic selves without the fear or worry of being judged.
Jim’s wife Weldon joined the Cheerio year-round team in May 2021 as the Marketing and Communications Director transitioning to Associate Director in 2022. Known for her passion for a good event, Weldon was in the tradeshow and event industry before coming to Cheerio. She is a graduate of Meredith College earning a degree in Communication.
Splitting their time between Mouth of Wilson, VA and her hometown roots of High Point, NC, when not at the River, you can find Weldon dabbling in creating tablescapes or entertaining her family and friends.
She looks forward to the exciting challenge of giving campers lifelong memories on the New River and making each camp gathering a special event!
Roark joined our Cheerio family 16 years ago as a camper and fell in love with what he now affectionately calls his home away from home. Coming back year after year, he has seen Camp from many different perspectives as a Camper/CIT/Counselor/Target Sports Staff/Kitchen Staff/Climbing Staff/Kitchen Manager/Food Service Director, and now as the New River Program Director. After graduating last year from UNC-Chapel Hill, Roark looks forward to many summers helping your camper build a lifetime love of the outdoors.
Outside of camp, you can typically find Roark undertaking a hike to the top of Stone mountain, running the trails at a local state park, or biking around town. He also is a devoted dog dad and loves spending time with his adorable beagle, JJ (Jessica Jones), one of the many camp dogs out at the River.
Roark’s daily schedule finds him working directly with counselors on exciting new programs and activities, creating camper schedules, and striving to ensure each camper in our Cheerio family has the best week of their entire year. Camp is a special place where people come for a week and often leave knowing a bit more about their true selves; helping build this experience that his counselors once gifted him is a driving part of Roark’s love for camp.
FAQ
Cheerio on the New River is led by three full time directors who bring a combined 32 years of camping experience to our program. Our Camp Director, Jim Hussey began his career with Camp Cheerio in 2010 and has experience working in all aspects of Camp Cheerio’s operations. Jim’s wife, Weldon, joined the Cheerio team in 2021 and is looking forward to bringing her talents from event planning and marketing to the team as our Associate Director. Roark McLean joins us as our Program DIrector as we look ahead to summer 2022. Roark brings many years of camp experience, as well as an extensive knowledge base, and love for all outdoor activities.
Complementing our three full time directors, Cheerio on the New River will employ 25-30 experienced staff. The majority of our staff will have the primary role of being an in-cabin counselor with your child while they teach certain activities throughout the day. A few senior staff members will have training in specific areas of camp to ensure all activities and camp life are both safe and fun. These staff will live outside of the camper cabins and will be there to provide support to both campers and counselors on a daily basis.
All staff who come to work with us will go through an interview process with one of our Directors and go through our own structured training before starting the summer with your camper.
Campers can start coming as rising 5th graders (approximately 10 years old) and age out of camp after 11th grade (approximately 16 years old).
A mix of both land and aquatics activities, all centered around introducing your camper to the great outdoors in a safe and rewarding environment. Our land based activities include mountain biking, target sports (archery), orienteering/GPS, arts and crafts (with a focus on rope work and knot building), outdoor cooking, camping, climbing (on a real rock face), and hiking/backpacking. Aquatics activities will include canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing (and fly fishing), and raft/boat building.
We are excited to be offering many out of camp trips which will include Canoeing and Kayaking down various sections of the New River, Caving, and Rock Climbing. Travel time will be cut down so all trips will be out and back within the same day.
Our camp family firmly believes in camp being a place where your camper feels comfortable to meet new friends, take on new challenges, and find their best self. To this end we believe that offering your camper the opportunity to pick their own activities on Opening Day is of paramount importance. Having a trusted counselor on hand to help explain the activities to them and being able to talk with their friends about what activities they may wish to do together guarantees your camper will design their own unique camp path.
Although Cheerio Extreme will not be formally offered, we now have more opportunities for your child to have “the best of both worlds”. When you register, simply sign up for a session at either location, and follow it up with a session at the second location. We will plan for a fun afternoon/evening for your child and we will provide transportation between the two!
Made possible by the donation of several large tracts of land and the hard work of many volunteers over the last two years, we are thrilled to be bringing our camp focus closer to home. We will continue to provide out of camp trips, but we will spend less time travelling and focus more time in and around camp. This will open up more time in their days to connect with nature and each other in a safe and supervised setting.
Cabins are duplex style with each cabin consisting of space for 14 campers and 2 staff. Cabins are very spacious, and all have a covered front and back porch where campers will spend time creating lasting friendships. All cabins are located in close proximity to all camp activities, and main buildings such as the office and lodge (dining hall).
Cabins are assigned on the basis of age/grade to ensure each camper is surrounded with campers of a similar age, enabling them to easily connect with others.
A camper’s cabin is their home at camp and their cabin mates will become some of their best friends. Knowing this, we strive to set each camper up for success in a smaller group of similar age campers. A typical cabin size will be 10-12 campers with a dedicated pair of counselors.
The camp session cost is an all-inclusive fee, covering the cost of all camp activities, food, evening snack, and out of camp trips.
Cheerio strives to be consistent across both of our camps and continue to update our protocols in alignment with current CDC recommendations. Prior to Opening Day we do require your camper to have been vaccinated or be able to present a negative PCR test within 7 days of coming to camp. This enables us to ensure the safest camping experience possible. While at camp, in circumstances where we are unable to social distance (such as enclosed areas like the Dining Hall) campers and staff will be required to wear a mask to again protect our camp family from Covid-19.
