WATERFORD – Some of the teenagers at the pond are swimming or sunning, while others wait for their turn on “The Tube,” a rubber raft that lurches forward and bounces across the water behind the roar of a motorboat.

But the thoughts of Griffin Ringle, 14, are elsewhere. He stands anxiously beside his older brother, Bryce Lozier, waiting to make an announcement.

“Camp To Belong is the best thing that ever happened to me,” he says, when finally given the opportunity.

Lozier, 16, peers down over Ringle and nods in silent agreement.

This is no ordinary summer camp. What is normally Camp Wigwam on Bear Pond Road has instead been turned into the temporary home of Camp To Belong – a special program for young people in foster care who have been separated from their siblings.

On Aug. 14, the first-ever group of 57 campers between the ages of 7 and 17 arrived at Camp To Belong, and the crowd intends to stay through the end of the week.

The goal, coordinator Heidi Krieger said Tuesday on her way out of the dining hall, is to reunite foster care siblings and allow them to participate in activities they may otherwise miss. The camp, run by a volunteer staff and supported through donations, is part of a larger organization of the same name.

According to the Camp To Belong Web site, the nonprofit organization was founded in 1995 with the mission to bring a sense of “belonging to youth as individuals, and as siblings, while they journey through and beyond the social service system.”

Newell Augur, director of the Office of Public and Legislative Affairs for Health and Human Services, said Wednesday that Maine has about 2,940 young people in foster care.

“Of (the) percentage of children that are siblings, we would estimate about 38 percent of them stay together,” he said. “Obviously we can do better than that, and Camp To Belong is part and parcel of that effort.”

Krieger said the camp also is special because it opens doors to new experiences within a family atmosphere.

“These kids get to have this experience – they get to go tubing and water skiing,” she said. They also get to go rock climbing and hiking and do arts and crafts, and those over 14 will be offered a chance to discuss career and school opportunities with adult mentors.

Siblings are encourged to spend time with one another, whether it be on the climbing wall or a nature trail, Krieger said.

But camp isn’t necessarily easy.

“We’ve had some spats, some tense moments and tantrums,” said staff member Panthea Burns.

Emotions run high at camp, she said. Some of the campers haven’t lived together in years. And no one knew quite what to expect of the first camp.

When Ashta Mercer, 16, received a packet of information about the camp, she immediately threw it away.

“I was like Camp? I don’t want to go to a camp,'” she said Tuesday, seated next to her sister, Heather Flagg, 12, on the lawn in front of the pond.

Mercer only went because Flagg, who lives in a state foster home three hours away, called and asked her to sign up. In the end, Mercer was glad she did.

“You don’t feel so left out with kids here,” she said. “You have something in common where with other camps you always feel different.”

Those are similar to the words Bryce Lozier used when describing camp. “It’s good to have somebody who knows the same things and feels the same way,” he said.

Krieger hopes Camp To Belong will grow in Maine. But that will take some awareness raising and more events like Annual Walk to Reunite Siblings. There will be walks in nine locations on Oct. 2 this year, she said, including Lewiston and Portland.

Whatever happens, it is likely the campers will be welcomed back at Camp Wigwam next year.

Owner Bob Strauss, manning the boat pulling The Tube on Tuesday, is impressed by the effort. “It has truly exceeded my expectations in every way,” he said.