Camp Postcard secretly unifies Colorado youth with police officers

A summer camp in Estes Park is bringing children and law enforcement together through a week of team building and outdoor activities in the mountains. 

Camp Postcard, a five-day-long camp at the YMCA in Estes Park, brings middle schoolers from the Denver metro area into the mountains after being nominated as a leader within their own community or school.

The campers spend their week interacting with camp counselors, doing activities like archery, team building, tie-die shirts, high and low ropes courses, and more.

"I had never really left my home. It was an experience to try something new," said 17-year-old Tyler Lewis, a camp attendee and junior counselor.

After five days of spending time with their peers and counselors, the campers are brought in for their final lunch. They show off the team chants they made. And then, suddenly, the sound of an unfamiliar chant could be heard outdoors. The doors opened and dozens of police officers marched into the building.

After several moments of confusion, the kids quickly realize the people wearing the police uniforms are the same people who were their camp counselors for the week.

"You can see the look of shock on their face," said Danno Singleton, Agent for Aurora Police.

The students are never told their camp counselors are police officers until they are surprised at the final lunch,

"It was definitely a shock. I grew up with not so good of a connection with the police. So, finding out they were cops was like, wow," Lewis said.

"The reveal is one of the most amazing facets of camp and it never gets old," said Angel Hurtado, chief programs officer for Volunteers of America Colorado.

Hurtado told CBS News Colorado's Dillon Thomas she has been helping run the camp for more than 10 years and noted the surprise reveal never gets old.

"Camp Postcard stands for peace officers striving to create and reinforce dreams," Hurtado said. "Some of the youth might have an experience with an officer and it might be one of the worst days of their life, and we are trying to change that piece. We want them to have some positive experiences with officers."

Lewis said spending time with officers over the years at the camp has changed his perspective when it comes to police.

"It changed my life, for sure," Lewis said. "I was definitely more scared growing up. But, this camp has helped me with that. Now, when I see a cop on the street I give them a waiver or I will talk to them. They're people too."

And, even though the goal of the surprise is to help change perspectives with children, officers said they are also changed for the better by the camp. 

"The bonds and relationships we build here, this is the beginning of bridging that gap within the community," Singleton said. "It humbles you, it recenters you, it reenergizes the whole reason why we got into this job, to give back to the community."