Camps, community, connections.
LGBTQ+ youth deserve to grow up in a world that celebrates who they are and cultivates their true human potential. At the Pony Barnes Foundation, we nurture the seeds of authenticity by ensuring LGBTQ+ youth and their families have the soil to grow and thrive.
Pony Barnes Foundation carries on the legacy of Dr. Virginia "Pony" Barnes and her life's work to challenge youth and their families to reach new levels of personal potential by inspiring their curiosity and desire to engage in lifelong learning. For over 60 years, her renowned summer camps impacted generations of families across California and beyond.
The PBF team is comprised of passionate leaders who have been profoundly changed by the communities and learning environments she created in her lifetime.
We understand on a personal level the intimate and far-reaching impact of outdoor education experiences like these. As members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies, we believe in the critical difference they can make in the lives of LGBTQ+ youth and their families who often lack intentional and supportive spaces to grow and thrive. We are determined to continue Pony's legacy by cultivating more opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth and their families to experience the warm embrace of belonging in environments where they are set up to thrive.
Madelyn Gelpi, Executive Director
