This is just the beginning!

This morning a select few of the rowdy leadership jumped in the 15 passenger van and headed off to the International Association of Experiential Education Conference in Madison, WI.
This few includes the likes of Mike, James, Aaron, Jana and myself. And when we say morning... we literally mean we got on the road at 3:00am to finally arrive in our hotel suite around 5:00pm. There were many memorable moments along the way... moments such as Mike and Jana hijacking my laptop to plug Mike's speakers into them so that they could jam out in the back of the van (I was not aware of this happening for a while), James ordering a pizza from a place in his hometown and it being delivered by his mother at a Love's trucker stop (the pizza was delicious by the way), and Mike conveniently forgetting to buy/telling me that Walmart did not have Red Vine licorice.
 Like I said... just a few things. Most of the time it was actually just us rotating drivers and catching up on the sleep we didn't get since we had to meet at 3:00am.
Anywho, the important part is that we ALL made it to Madison safely and have been having a great time since we got here. We have this amazing suite and are taking advantage of every second of it. We have of course been enjoying each others' company and I imagine it will only get better as we continue into the next four days of the conference.
BONUS: Mom and Dad are driving down here from Prior Lake, MN tomorrow so all of my coworkers that haven't met them will get to get to know them!

I look forward to updating as the conference continues! More adventures are to come!

The Pfeifer Camp Teachers, - Jana and Tammy... and Mike- my fellow Program Director

The view from the special place we get to hangout because of the high-classness of our rooms at the hotel!

The Service of a CIT

The service of a CIT (Counselor In Training) at Pfeifer Camp is not for the feign of heart. The expectations are high and the demands are physically, emotionally, and intellectually exhausting. Ask any CIT though and they will tell you the exhaustion at the end of the week is well worth it. It is well worth it because for most of them, they have been looking forward to this opportunity since they first attended camp; which for some could have been as early as nine years old. To be a CIT is a huge honor for anyone that knows the system of Pfeifer Camp. It requires a high school aged student to dedicate themselves to serving the kids at camp through the ups and downs alongside an AmeriCorps Counselor. As one of these counselors, I find each of these CITs to be amazing in the work they do. Not only do they sacrifice their summer and the possibility of having a job to earn some extra cash; they do so to come out into the mosquito infested woods, run around in 100 degree heat, and on occasion get some serious attitude from campers. On top of all this- they do it for absolutely free. This last year we had many of the CITs volunteer week after week. That is essentially volunteering Monday morning until Friday afternoon in some very stressful conditions for five weeks. What seems to draw these CITs back week after week is multifaceted. Not only do they get to give back to the place that for many of them they call a second home; they get to serve alongside their peers. Some of these peers they grew up with at camp. As they serve with the AmeriCorps Counselors that have travelled from all over the country they also get to learn about the culture and background they come from. They learn leadership skills as they are put in a position alongside the AmeriCorps Counselor and get to teach the kids the skills they grew up learning at camp. These skills include problem solving, outdoor living skills and team building. They get to meet, interact with, and positively influence kids from all over the city. Each week they come back with an unparalleled energy and a drive to serve together so as to continue the traditions that make Pfeifer Camp such a magical place. So when I think of success as it relates to summer camp here at Pfeifer Camp, I can’t help but acknowledge the huge success our CITs are because of their courage, intellect, and tenacity.

Fall

After a long hiatus from the blogosphere...

I was just on the phone with my nana yesterday and she asked if the leaves were starting to change. I thought about it for a second and told her that I thought it seemed to be just around the corner, but wasn't quite there yet. Well, guess what I woke up to this morning? Yup, as I started to look around today I noticed them changing. In fact, they seemed to be changing right before my eyes. Like all in one instant they were turning from green to red and falling to the ground.
As I sit and think about the day today I couldn't help but notice a parallel between the transformation of the season and the many significant transformations happening throughout camp. As we have started our third of five weeks in this first session, these kids have been pushing their counselors to the limits. Each week though, these new counselors come back to the group with new ideas and admirable resilience. I watch them take hit after hit of attitude and craziness... only to get back up with new ways of dealing with the same old behaviors. Because of their hard work and tireless efforts, changes are happening. They are working hard and are challenging the kids to work even harder to make the changes they need to so as to prove to us that they are ready and willing to be the best versions of themselves. This hasn't happened with all of the kids yet, but I have definitely seen the kids start to realize how much we care for them here. They are putting up with the creaky bunk beds, communal bathrooms, and being fussed at by the adults around them because they know that we only want the best from them. They could have given up and stayed home, but they just keep coming back. Dr. Glasser believes that everyone needs at least one person in life who genuinely cares about them and who they genuinely care about. Here at camp we hope that they can find that. Even more than that, we hope they find an overwhelming amount of people here care deeply about them and their future. This is often the most important part of the equation that helps them to change. So just like the season, changes are happening here at camp. Big surprise right? I don't think I would still be here if there weren't big changes happening every single day. I love this place and the people here. Here's to a great start to what I hope is another great year.

for.the.kids