Creating opportunity and community since 2007
Camp Harbor View creates safe spaces where kids can experience fun, make friends, and grow as leaders. It all started in 2007 with our summer camp in the Harbor Islands, but since then we’ve grown into a year-round community of Boston’s young leaders and their families.
The idea for CHV’s summer camp sprung from conversations in early 2007 between then Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Boston businessman Jack Connors, Jr.
Mayor Menino was seeking supportive, structured ways to engage middle school kids during summer months when school was out. Jack recalled a place he’d visited as a child — the flat, grassy parade grounds of a former military base, now owned by the City of Boston, that had sat unused for years. Jack took Mayor Menino to visit, and the two men envisioned a new Boston institution — a free summer camp for Boston youth in this stunning spot.
The camp, located on Long Island in Boston Harbor, was built in just 109 days, and welcomed campers for the first season on July 2, 2007. Over the years, Camp Harbor View has partnered with other local organizations to provide the best experience possible for young people, including an operations partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston from 2007-2017. This collaboration proved instrumental in establishing camp operations and youth development programs.
When Jack Connors, Jr., passed away in 2024, he left behind a thriving organization and community poised to partner with Boston families for many decades to come.
Today, CHV offers year-round leadership development programs for high school students, a groundbreaking guaranteed income program for Boston families, and (of course) our signature summer camp on Boston’s Long Island.
Learn more about our work and how you can get involved here.
