Darcy Baird’s first year at Camp Mohawk was 1977 when she was 8. She came to Mohawk because an aunt had gone and loved it. At the end of Darcy’s first two weeks, she cried because she didn’t want to go home. The next year, Darcy attended camp for a month and begged to stay the whole summer. Once she turned 10, Darcy attended Camp all summer every year until she turned 18. She was a CIT in 1985, a JC in 1986, and her last summer was 1987.
Darcy was from a single-parent household, as her parents had divorced. A lot was expected of her at home, in the care of her little brother, while her mom worked, but this also fostered her independence, and she began to be exposed to and surrounded by different women and opportunities. She remembers this time being one of gaining awareness of the power women hold in the world.
Enter Mohawk.
Like so many of us, Darcy loved camp and honed her leadership skills there. She explains that camp gave her the freedom and space to “grow without the stressors at home” in a place at which a girl can be herself and learn what her gifts are. She is grateful for her time at Mohawk, which was spent surrounded by powerful women who lifted each other up. It also gave her lifelong friendships that are cemented in summers at camp, which was a safe haven.
When I asked Darcy what effect Mohawk had on her life, she answered, “I truly believe it allowed me to become what I am today, and it inspired me to be myself, find out who Darcy is, and take care of women.” And what she is today is an OB/GYN, practicing in the San Francisco area.
Darcy attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. From there, she ventured to Tulane University, for medical school, in New Orleans, LA. She spent many years on her education and career, and she chose a profession that allowed her to channel her gifts into a career that supports women and brings new life forth.
Darcy was one of those campers who showed clear leadership skills. As a CIT, JC, and eventual Assistant Program Director, campers and staff all looked up to her, and she was a well-loved constant at Camp Mohawk. She attended the 100-year reunion and comes back to camp as often as she can. However, she visits in her heart and mind frequently and holds camp in a place of honor as the place that launched her. A few of her favorite camp memories are “singing around the campfire and any time spent on the waterfront.”
Darcy is married to her husband, Cameron “Cam,” and has two beautiful daughters, Alice (17) and Violet (15), who are on their own paths to being women in leadership roles, ushered by their exceptional mother.
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