GO AHEAD, YOU FIRST,... ONCE UPON A SUMMER...

Dear YMCA Camp Director,

I am trying really hard not to be emotional and ramble on, but please forgive me, as this is the first time my child will be left with anyone but family or school. I hope I made the right decision to send my child to camp, specifically YMCA camp, have you ever seen how many choices a parent must make when they send the child to camp?

I am not yet a parent of a child, but I can assure the families I serve, placing a child in my care, I, foremost worry of the safety of both my campers and my staff and then I try to ensure each has memorable experiences lasting a lifetime. With each passing year, this task never gets easier, rather its gets more challenging with new fads competing for my attention. I’ve seen it all from the Nintendo GameBoy to Apple iPod, all compete to steel your child’s attention from traditional camp activities.

Do I want sports camp, art camp, computer camp, gymnastics camp, trip camp or at least another million choices, but we (my child and I) picked YMCA camp as it looked to offer a variety of activities and field trips.

Excitement pours out of their hearts and emotions as today as the bell rings for dismissal on the last day of school for the school year, they’re now officially one grade higher, one year smarter and one year more challenging. They leave the four walls of security, comfort and knowing what is expected them each and every day. Its hard to imagine from one day to the next, all the structure, routine and expectations is all but forgotten by the time they arrive on your first day of summer camp. They’ve gone from school children to now summer day campers.

Summer camp is filled with a variety of talented individuals from athletes to artists, adventurists to storytellers and big brother/sister to school teacher and each helps each child find themselves learning something new. The children are bound to come home every day filled with stories of their day yet fully exhausted but ready to come back the next day to see what’s next. By the end of the summer only wishing to come back for another year.

I am entrusting you to care for my child from head to toe, share their excitement, comfort their fears and encourage them when needed.

When I took on Camp Director, I vowed to my families I served, their children will be safe, afforded balanced choices and new opportunities to explore new skills, find new talents, make new friends and ultimately have a summer to remember. Every year, regardless of my position, I have always learned something new from a child, a parent or one of my staff which helped me become a better person. Sometimes it was as simple as reminding me why I do what I do to taking time to just see the world from the eyes of my campers, each a lesson learned.

I guess what I am trying to tell you is, I want you to be there for them, when I can’t. I am sharing with you my pride and joy, my most precious gift from God and what I would do anything for.

There are so many other jobs and so many other ways to make more money than working the long hours in a summer day camp. However, I find no other experience as rewarding, exciting and self fulfilling than seeing children grow up in your own eyes over the summer. The hours we spend with children help us become a part of your child’s young life and the bond we make can last a lifetime for both campers and camp staff. Many years later, I still have memories of the campers in my programs and at least once a year, one finds me and shares their sentimental memories of being in one of my camps. Each child whether I remember a face, a name or on the rare occasion, remember both face and name, occupies a treasured memory which I wouldn't trade for anything. The memories of summer camp alone would be on its own, another blog.

Its not easy entrusting someone who I barely met, except for the few minutes at camp open house, where every other parent too was eager to meet you and tell you about their child’s uniqueness.

I pray and hope you received as much training as possible, but know very well that won’t make up for the years of hands on experience I have raising my child.

When I hired staff for summer camp, I like to say, I take only the best, but truth is often of the hundreds of applications and resumes I receive, I pray and take my chances in that I made the right choices for the families I will be serving. With my magic wand, I arm each of them with a virtual toolbox filled with team building exercises, exciting themes and suggested activities, behavior management skills, basic first aid and a healthy dose of camp spirit which will keep their fire and passion alive for ten weeks of long ten hour days without missing a beat. For many, it may be their first job and wish to relive the great summer camp memories of their own while and for others it’s an annual seasonal homecoming of sorts where they wish to share their passion of working with children.

As you open this letter, the anticipation of Monday is growing both with my own nervousness and my child’s excitement and I sure hope you all are ready for each and everyone.

With anxiety, Mom or Dad or both come into the YMCA that first morning, trusting they made the right decision to put their precious gift into your hands. The parents barely know you (if they do at all) and trusted the YMCAs reputation for safe, fun-filled and memorable experiences and pray all goes well. In a parent’s eyes, the first morning, the first day is nothing but filled with chaos, disorganization and being reminded don’t forget lunch, snacks, water, sunscreen, bathing suits, towels, to fill camp store charge and don’t forget our field trip on Friday. The child’s excitement roars with all their senses at peak, seeing a friend they haven’t seen since last year’s summer camp and getting a hug or high-five, smelling the pool’s chlorine and popcorn and hearing the laughter of happy children and counselors getting acquainted. All this happening within the first fifteen minutes. By the time the child is signed in, Mom and Dad barely are able to wish their child a great day, they escape to the realm of summer day camp. Again, Mom and Dad are trusting their precious gift into your hands, hoping you have received the right tools to provide their child the world.

I won’t bore you with particulars about my child because I know each and every child you will have that day will bring their own baggage of life’s experiences, but my child deserves your attention just as much as the next and of please remember my child is still a child and can easily be forgotten when distractions continually invite your attention.

The diversity of the children I served over the years is probably one of the things I love the most. From the various ethnicities to those of various abilities, each brought a new challenge, like cooking a new dish, awaiting to see if the final result will be as good as the picture you saw with the recipe. Even after all these years, the ingredients of great staff, excited children and supporting supervisors and minimal budgets, the result is always better than expected!

My child is in your hands this summer, I have full faith, I will see my child grow through all the wonderful experiences you will provide and ultimately become a well rounded child filled with great memories of their childhood summers.

Sincerely,

YMCA Camper’s Parent

This summer of 2023, I am am beginning my thirty-ninth year of summer day camp, whether being its my past as a junior camp counselor to currently the payroll administrator, I’ve gained new experiences and future memories. I often look on all the counselors’ and camp directors’ faces coming through today's YMCA doors, which hasn't changed over the years, the excitement which summer camp brings both to campers and staff alike. However, I notice, while I may not have aged a day, they, the staff, seem to get younger with each passing year as they become our next generation of professional role models.

Here's to another summer - may it be bring campers and our professional role models a summer to remember with new memories to forever cherish.

Epilogue - Though the original parent letter has been long lost, I tried my best to recreate and ad-lib as I saw fit, the letter is italicized and my story was interwoven between the letter.