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This section contains real-life camp stories written by camp directors, educators, campers, and parents. If you have any camp stories that you would like to share, please send them to us at articles@CampDepot.com. CampDepot.com reserves the right to edit or reject any article. Please include a picture with your submission. All authors will receive two CampDepot.com T-shirts when their materials are published. by Greg Schreiner, Director of Buckley Day Camps, Roslyn, NY
This particular camper was a fantastic athlete. An avid basketball fan, he would put his heart and soul into games on the basketball court. But he would not go anywhere near the water. Even the gentlest suggestions regarding the camp pool would end with our camper in tears. Each day after basketball, there would be a familiar face in the summer office; our very cute, very athletic, seven-year-old did not want to change for instructional swim. The relationship between the summer office and the camper became well- defined quickly. The office took the clear position of being a concerned advocate for our anxious little camper. Reasons for the boy's behavior were discussed daily. It was determined that he simply was scared. With the help of his parents, the summer office allowed him to miss instructional swim in exchange for a promise that he would join his buddies during the free swim period. Shortly thereafter, he became confident enough to join the instructional swim group. When the day came for the boy's first swim period, the camp director just so happened to be in the vicinity of the pool. With a wink and a smile to the camper, the director was delighted to watch as the instructor played some underwater games with the group. Our very cute, very athletic, seven-year-old turned out to be a fantastic swimmer. Many camps have multiple success stories regarding
individual or social growth within their communities. That is the beauty of camp. With professional leadership,
stories like ours repeat themselves year after year. The last time we saw our young boy, he was at our camp
reunion, challenging the best super simon-sez player in the world. top To Dog or Not to Dog; That Is The
Question
First of all, dogs offer themselves lovingly and in an unconditional manner. They love to be loved and vice versa. Hugs. Petting. Being talked to. Yep, they are open to it all. And they don't talk back. I have seen campers who are loners and not going with the flow sidle up to one of our dogs and soon both really tango. They can get real close during a week of camp. What an illustration of our God and Savior! Arms always open wide. Ready to take us as we are, fix what is wrong, and make us better. Dogs are also great illustrations of having fun. Puppies especially, and grown-up dogs too, love to play. They will spar with one another endlessly, exclaiming to all that God's creatures believe in having a good time, not working every living moment. Kids identify with this. (God meant them to.) Good, clean fun is fine with the Lord. Basically God wants a kid to be a kid as long as possible. Amen. There will be enough years to work. Let's allow them to recreate while they can. That's the main reason for their coming to our camps. We need to capitalize on this. One weekend a month or so ago, we had a group of children from a church in the Dallas area. Early Saturday morning, about ten little girls asked my assistant where my dogs were. He said they would be arriving soon with me. As I drove through the front gate, the girls rushed to greet Bart and Betty. They didn't want to see me; they wanted to reacquaint themselves with my dogs! (What a letdown!) But it showed me again how much campers love a good dog. Last week, we hosted Junior and Senior BSU leaders from Texas A&M. At the end of their day, they gathered around an old Western wagon near our office for a group photo. One of the guys picked up the new camp puppy Buddy and another fellow picked up Bart, over 100 lb. and soaking wet from a swim in the lake, to include him in the picture! Unbelievable! Finally, dogs can have some negative qualities. They get real jealous. Bart wants most of my attention and will crowd in front of Betty to get closer to me. If we are walking, he has to lead, not Betty. Greedy, yep, don't like to share food sometimes. Fearful, especially of lightning and thunder storms, gunfire, and fire crackers. (Bart and Betty tried to come into the house on July 4th. Not very patriotic!) And stupid sometimes. Bart and Brent Boyd, our U.P.S. driver, don't get along. Brent gets out of his truck with his computerized clipboard ready to bop Bart on the head. I don't know what it is. Maybe the color brown. But kids can learn something positive (how not to be) from a negative example. And they can observe the discipline I administer when Bart and Betty go astray from noble behavior. Well, here's to dogs. They add a lot of good color to our camp. Maybe they can to yours too. top by Greg Schreiner, Director of Buckley Day Camps, Roslyn, NY We can all remember that feeling, when we were children, of looking forward to summer and the fun associated with it. It's the same for kids today. Just last year, a 10-year-old boy who was eagerly looking forward to summer and coming to our camp almost had his dreams dashed. He was hitting the basketball court on his last day of school. Thinking of the impending three-on-three tournaments at camp, he followed a missed shot with a great rebound, but the three-inch curb fouled him. His ankle twist was quickly diagnosed as a bad break, and his dreams of summer fun seemed at an end. However, after the boy had been at home for a few weeks, his mother contacted us with an idea. Together, we worked out a way for her son to come to camp after all. With help from his doctor, a modified schedule was created. Because the doctor wanted no pressure at all on the ankle, we decided that a golf cart would be the best way to transport the boy from one place to another. Crutches were helpful for local trips, but the golf cart gave our 10-year-old the opportunity to do something new. Besides attending a computer workshop and assisting as a referee and coach at basketball games, he began helping to deliver snacks around the camp. In no time, you could see his summer blues starting to fade away. Because of his limited mobility, he decided to join a magic circus arts activity. As he developed his juggling skills, his broken ankle became less of a hindrance. As referee, coach, snack distributor, magic circus arts performer, and ultimately a friend to all, our basketball player was having a fantastic summer. Looking back at pictures of the summer of 1999, we consistently see an enthusiastic look on our young friend's face. His smile was not just one of satisfaction; it also conveyed relief and appreciation. With flexibility, communication, and professional help from adults, his own natural optimism had kicked in to help him make the best of a potentially bad break. top |
The
summer of 1999 was hot and dry on Long Island. Besides the air-conditioned activity areas, the pools were the
most popular place in camp. Most campers spent their days swishing down a water slide or having tea parties at
the bottom of our three-foot, "pretend-ocean" floor. They followed the drills during instructional
swim and frolicked in the pools during their free periods. They were happiest in the water, and their
counselors often felt the need to join them. It appeared to be one big happy camper-and-counselor party except
for one very cute, very athletic, seven-year-old boy.
For
a long time, I debated with myself about writing this article. I wondered if it would ever get into print. I
figured that it had no direct spiritual support. But then I remembered Psalm 104:24, "O Lord, how
many are your works! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures." So, to
bring this down to the lower shelf, where I am, like I tell the campers each summer, "Only God can make a
dog." My next point is: I like dogs a lot. Third, I feel dogs can greatly enhance the program of a
Christian camp. How? Well, let me share some reasons.