Camp Without a Campus: How Kyndra Luce Built QT Camp Around What Families Need Now

At our 2026 THRIVE Gala, the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce named Kyndra Luce our LGBT+ Professional of the Year. Kyndra has worked with young people in outdoor programs and adventure camps since 1998. She founded Famous Adventures, a for-profit Charleston day camp, in 2016. Then, in 2023, she created QT Camp, a nonprofit day camp centered on LGBTQIA+ young people and their families.

What began as one pilot week served 65 campers across 5 groups in summer 2026. The program now includes themed camps, caregiver education, travel assistance, and plans for year-round programming.

QT Camp does not have cabins, bunkhouses, or a public campus. Campers meet at a location shared privately with enrolled families, travel together for the day's activities, and return in the afternoon. That is not a limitation. It is part of Kyndra's model. She is building camp around what young people and families need now: affirming community, flexible programming, privacy, access, and more than one way to participate.

QT Camp Was Built Because Families Asked for It

Famous Adventures helped Kyndra recognize the need that became QT Camp. Parents were telling her they were relieved to find a safe environment. They noticed signals in the registration process that made them comfortable talking about a transgender child, a family with two moms, or another part of their lives they were not always sure a camp would understand.

The young people were already attending camp, but many did not know other campers with similar identities or family experiences. Their caregivers often lacked those connections, too. Kyndra and several instructors decided to bring those campers together for one dedicated week.

"We had so much fun, and the parents and the kids were so thankful. We couldn't NOT build the program because it was needed."

Kyndra Luce

The pilot became a nonprofit. QT Camp now describes itself as the only day camp in the Southeast centered on the needs of LGBTQIA+ children. Friends, allies, and siblings are welcome, but the experience begins with queer and trans young people rather than asking them to adapt to a program designed without them in mind.

Kyndra did not enter this work without experience. She holds a bachelor's degree in outdoor education from Appalachian State University and a master's degree in camp administration from the University of Georgia. She has spent nearly 3 decades watching camp, children, and families change. QT Camp is what happened when that experience met a need families were already expressing.

Day Camp Is a Choice, Not a Compromise

QT Camp's day-camp structure is intentional. "A lot of campers don't want to spend the night somewhere and have that cabin and bathrooms and showers and privacy and all those things," Kyndra explained.

"I'm holding very firmly to it being a day camp."

Kyndra Luce

Campers still get the activities, independence, and relationships associated with summer camp, but they return to their families each afternoon. The model is also mobile. Small groups meet with staff at a private location and travel together through the Charleston area. Adventure Camp can include outdoor activities and local attractions. Library Quest brings campers into libraries and bookstores for creative projects. Nature Camp combines indoor and outdoor exploration. Action Camp connects older campers with advocates, artists, and lessons about identity and self-advocacy.

Not every child wants the same camp experience. Kyndra's model gives campers several ways to find one that fits. The lack of a public campus also helps protect participants. QT Camp does not publish camper names, faces, or identifying details. Meeting locations are shared only when appropriate. The organization's website uses stock photography, obscured features, and anonymous quotes to protect campers and families.

The structure creates a different challenge for families traveling from outside Charleston. Campers have come from Charlotte, Western North Carolina, and other communities. Some families stay with friends, while others rent a place and make the week a working trip or family vacation. QT Camp offers travel reimbursements to help with lodging and other expenses. Caregivers can also participate in morning programming designed to support them and their children. Camp serves the young person, but Kyndra is building a community for the family around them, too.

Camp Has to Change with the Kids

After nearly 3 decades in the industry, Kyndra does not believe camp can remain relevant by repeating the same model every year. Summer 2026 brought the first large wave of campers born during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kyndra noticed young people arriving with sophisticated emotional language. Many could explain what they were feeling and ask clearly for what they needed.

At the same time, their social habits looked different from those of previous generations. Camp gives them a place to practice being in community: making plans, handling disagreements, trying unfamiliar activities, and building relationships outside their usual routines.

Kyndra also sees the industry changing around them. Insurance, transportation, staffing, food, and activity costs continue to rise. Extreme weather and air-quality concerns can interrupt outdoor programs. Parents are reconsidering what experiences they value and what their children will participate in. For Kyndra, those changes make specialty camps increasingly important. A camp built around a shared identity, medical need, or strong interest gives families a specific reason to participate. The activities matter, but the opportunity to meet people with similar experiences can matter even more.

"I think we need to focus more on what the parents want and stop giving them what we've always done."

Kyndra Luce

QT Camp reflects that philosophy. It does not require every camper to love the outdoors, feel ready for an overnight stay, or fit one narrow idea of what camp should be. It starts by asking what will help this group of young people connect.

Access Is Part of the Model

A 5-day session of QT Camp costs up to $450, but families pay on a sliding scale. In 2026, about one-quarter of campers paid the full price. QT Camp provided approximately $20,000 in scholarships, with no financial disclosure process required. "No questions asked, no paperwork," Kyndra said.

That approach is supported by grants and a broad group of individual donors. Kyndra said the nonprofit has between 200 and 300 small donors, with an average contribution of about $20, along with grant support from organizations including Alliance for Full Acceptance and Coastal Community Foundation.

The average gift helps explain how the model works. QT Camp is not dependent on one person writing one large check. A growing group of people is helping cover tuition, transportation, travel assistance, staffing, and program costs in smaller increments. Access also means staying connected after summer.

QT Camp is adding monthly meetups and more year-round programming for campers and caregivers. The goal is not to create one affirming week followed by 51 weeks of waiting. Camp can become the introduction to a community families continue to rely on.

Taking QT Camp Beyond Charleston

Kyndra's longer-term vision is to offer a full summer of programming and eventually take QT Camp into other communities across the Southeast. Its mobile structure makes that possible. QT Camp does not need to reproduce a large physical campus in every market. It needs trained staff, transportation, trusted activity partners, and a secure place for families to meet.

"I'm just going to say it like it exists already."

Kyndra Luce

That expansion will require more than donations. Lodging partners could make camp more accessible to families traveling to Charleston. Activity providers can help create new themed experiences. Professional-service partners can strengthen the operations and fundraising of a growing nonprofit. Chamber members across North and South Carolina can help families discover that QT Camp exists.

Kyndra spent years more comfortable working behind the Famous Adventures brand. With QT Camp, she understands that visibility is part of the job. The campers deserve privacy, but the public still needs to know the experienced educator and camp leader responsible for the model. That is the professional story behind QT Camp.

Kyndra is not simply creating more weeks of summer programming. She is rethinking where camp happens, who it centers, how families access it, and how one week can become a lasting community.