As a general counselor for the past three years at URJ Crane Lake Camp for the same group of girls (from age 13 to 15), a goal of mine has always been to positively impact all of my campers during my time as their counselor. However it is hard to truly know if you made a positive difference in all of your campers’ lives. Some campers are outgoing and they make it known if they look up to you, while others are more quiet and keep their opinions to themselves. However there are moments throughout the summer when a camper makes a comment or shows you that you made an influence in their lives. One of which is the last day of camp.
The last day of camp is the hardest day of the summer. You realize that camp flew by and that in the next few days, you have to go back to the reality of the real world. However, two summers ago, a camper made me smile on this usually sad day.
At my camp, on the last day of a session, everyone heads down to the field by our lake. Campers head home once their car reaches the field and their name is shouted out by a leadership team member. Once a name is called, the entire field hears the screams and cries of campers and counselors who are running to say one last goodbye to the camper heading home.
As a counselor, it is hard to say goodbye to the kids you’ve been spending so much time with for the past three, four, or even seven weeks. You realize just how connected you became with your campers and it is hard to say goodbye after spending every single day with them.
Two summers ago, two of my campers’ names were called. One of these campers was quieter and throughout the session I tried my hardest to get to know her by having her read me stories she’s written or asking about her drawings, but I wasn’t sure if I truly made an impact during her time at camp. After I hugged her goodbye, she looked at me and said “thank you for making this the best summer ever.”
Every summer, my goal is to help make my campers’ summer the best that it could possibly be by making each activity fun, being someone they can talk to and creating a culture in the bunk that is supportive, fun and kind.
I grew up at Crane Lake. For five summers, I was there as a camper and my counselors impacted each and every one of my summers. They were my role models and people that I still keep in touch with to this day. After realizing that these people, as my counselors, influenced my time as a camper, I decided that I, as a counselor, can do just that with my campers. So, it was my mission to make sure that each and every one of my campers felt included in the bunk, connected with their counselors and excited to see what was in store for their summer at Crane Lake.
As a counselor, the few words saying that I was a reason as to why their summer was the best have meant the world to me. It was incredible and heartwarming to know that I met this goal with this camper. Hearing those words come out of her mouth has been one of the highlights of my entire counselor experience.
Click here to read more Bunk Tales stories or click here to visit the Bunk Tales Project landing page.
