About

Lu Ann Potter founded Project CoffeeHouse in 2000 as a place where marginalized teens could go after school to enjoy music and poetry, good food and conversation with caring adults and a growing cadre of their peers in whose company they experienced, many for the first time, the sense of felt community.

After the PCH storefront was closed in 2006, the work continued ad hoc, addressing the focused needs of individual young people as they continued their journey to adulthood.

In 2016, Project CoffeeHouse adopted a program begun by St John Lutheran church on Rt 405. Sumer Alive, a day camp in the Montgomery Park, was initiated and became the highlight of summer vacation for many children in the Borough area.

Covid brought Summer Alive to a disappointing halt. In 2022, the third iteration of the program was born, as the organization’s commitment to the youngest generation continued to evolve yet remain steadfast for over 20 years.

Project Nature C.A.M.P., an outdoor summer program focused on Creative Activities and Magical Play for children age 5 – 10, was the adaptation made in response to COVID. With greater focus on the unique needs and abilities of children in smaller, more specific age groups, Project Nature CAMP welcomed two different groups of 25 Acorns (kids age 5, 6, and 7) and two different groups of 25 Oaks (kids age 8, 9, and 10) over a 4-week period.

Thanks to the generosity of the Montgomery Water Authority, founder Lu Potter’s vision for a genuine nature camp for kids age 5 – 10 is now a reality. This year, Summer Alive goes to the woods! The lovely hardwood forest at the end of Bower Street is now home to an all-new nature-based, child-directed program of free expression. Campers will experience a supportive, caring, and affirming community where nature sparks an innate sense of awe and wonder, where cooperation and kindness are exemplified, and where the unique gifts of every child are recognized and fostered.