July 1, 2021

The campers are here!!!!!!!!

This blog is a shoutout of gratitude to our 200 camp staff We had been told by bunches of very smart camp leaders and consultants that everyone – campers and staff – would arrive at camps fragile and somewhat anxious due to the stresses of COVID.  We saw this. The first few days of PreCamp training, our staff were out of sorts. Many of them seemed less resilient than usual. As predicted. It’s been such a tough 16 months.

But then the magic started to happen. Three or four days ago, the staff mood shifted. It was dramatic! Suddenly they were happy. Energetic. Flexible. Positive. Enthusiastic about their jobs and excited for the campers to arrive. It became clear that they had just needed a few days to heal.

Today they showed their true colours. We’ve never before had an Arrival Day organized like today, with no buses.. and COVID precautions. It took all hands on deck to welcome our campers in individual cars, to COVID  check every camper, to get a lot of testing done, to help every camper unpack and nest in their cabins…. And to teach them the camp COVID precautions and rules.

And they did it!!! Everybody was unpacked before dinner! The campers nested in their cabins. Nobody is crying!

The staff moved mountains today, with grace and cheer.

Once again we’re reminded that camp directors can have the best intentions and plans in the world, but without the staff to make those intentions and plans real, it doesn’t happen. The Arowhon staff made today work like a well-oiled machine… and now they’re making the magic and the healing start with their campers.

The sun is shining over Tepee Lake and the dinner bell just rang, so we’re off to our traditional first night dinner of veg spaghetti, garlic bread and Caesar salad with brownies for dessert. Oh great joy!!

 

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