Project Morry: Changing Lives, One Camper At A Time

Like many Westport kids, Adam Diamond loved summer camp.

His was Echo Lake. His era was the 1980s.

At the Adirondacks camp owned by Morry and Amy Stein, Diamond had fun, made lifelong friends and learned many life lessons.

The Staples High School Class of 1991 soccer player, wrestler and percussionist went on to become an Echo Lake counselor. He stayed an extra week, after the boys and girls went home.

Inspired by Morry, Diamond volunteered for the program, which served 70 youngsters from New York City.

Adam Diamond

“Morry believed that every kid should have a chance at camp, no matter what their economic circumstance,” he says.

Diamond’s Staples classmates had included a few students from Bridgeport.

But that extra week at Echo Lake “punched me in the nose,” he recalls. “I knew something like that had to be part of my life.”

Diamond earned a degree in economics from Harvard University. He worked in strategic planning and theme park development for Disney. He then spent 15 years with Starwood Hotels (and got an MBA from Harvard too).

Eight years ago he and his wife, Dr. Beth Fishbein, moved back to Westport with their 3-year-old twins. He pivoted careers, and bought a Pizza Hut franchise.

Today Diamond owns 200 Pizza Huts, and 15 Taco Bells, throughout the South.

But he has never forgotten Echo Lake, or his experience with its after-camp program.

Morry Stein

In 1994, Morry died in a plane crash. He was on his way home from an American Camping Foundation conference in Indiana.

Morry chaired the organization, which had already raised over $1 million to send children from under-resourced communities to summer camp.

The next year, friends, colleagues and Echo Lake alumni launched Morry’s Camp, in his memory. It fulfills Morry’s dream: giving under-resourced boys and girls a chance for summer camp.

Over nearly 30 years, Morry’s Camp has grown from a rented facility on Long Island, to another rental on the Delaware River. A non-profit group now owns that camp, near Port Jervis, New York.

But that’s only a small part of Project Morry.

Summer camp has grown into a year-round program, focused on academic enrichment and leadership development — and serving each member for a full decade. They come from Bridgeport, Stamford, Port Chester, Elmsford, North Amityville and New York City.

Children begin in 5th grade. They stay with Project Morry through middle school, high school, and their first year of college or work after graduation.

A staff of 20 oversees the 350-plus young people a year. Chief program officer Deb Cederbaum Jones is a Staples graduate.

As middle schoolers, they meet with Project Morry staff members monthly. They work on goal-setting, confidence building, and social and emotional learning.

The staff is in constant contact with parents, teachers and guidance counselors, forming a true support network.

A monthly Project Morry meeting. 

In high school there is a concentration on college and career readiness. There is more of a focus on academics — and on building relationships between all participants. They meet once a month at Rye Country Day School.

And of course they’re all together each summer for several weeks, at camp. In addition to the traditional camp activities, an educational component includes economics, geography, math, science, reading, writing, cooking, digital media and music.

Project Morry offers academic and leadership training.

Project Morry continues after high school graduation. For a year, staff members help the young men and women with a bridge to adulthood, including academic, and social and emotional support.

The program works. 95% of participants graduate from high school on time. 85% enroll in college; 77% of them are the first in their families to do so. The other 15% go to vocational school, work or the military.

Success stories abound. Project Morry alums work on Wall Street, and in healthcare. They teach, found companies, lead non-profits, write plays, create art, win Fulbright Scholarships. One is on Senator Chris Murphy’s staff.

Several are Project Morry staffers themselves. Two serve on its board.

Click here to read profiles of some of these remarkable graduates.

Enjoying camp — one more part of Project Morry.

As Project Morry enters its 4th decade, one goal is to add more participants each year.

Another is to offer even more to them: financial aid, mental health services, support beyond the first year after high school.

Project Morry will continue to invest in its camp facility too.

All that takes money. The operating budget is $3 million.

Like any non-profit, Project Morry continually fundraises. One excellent source is other summer camps. Over 40 run swim-a-thons, carnivals and fun runs each summer, as well as year-round giving days, social media appeals and event sponsorships.

Another is an annual gala. This year’s is set for October 29, at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. Click here for details.

Adam Diamond, at last year’s Project Morry gala.

Area residents contribute to Project Morry. But Diamond hopes they will do more.

25% of the students come from Bridgeport and Stamford. “If we can get Connecticut giving commensurate to New York, we could be at $4 million,” Diamond — now the president of the Project Morry board — says.

“Westport understands that these kids are in our backyard. The more people here learn about this program, the more they’ll support it.” Click on Project Morry.org to help.

Aiding just a few people — 350 a year — “can feel like a pebble in the ocean,” Diamond knows. “But the ripples go on and on.”

Just like the one that started more than 40 years ago, when Adam Diamond first attended Camp Echo Lake. And first met Morry Stein.

To learn more, click here, or email  adamhdiamond@gmail.com.