Why do you get out of bed and go to school or work 5 days a week? Why do you volunteer for a local charity? Why do you go for a 3 mile run every day, even when it is raining outside? Why do you pull your car over when you see a turtle crossing the road and help him to the other side? Why do you pick up someone else’s litter when you go for a walk in the woods? Why do we do all of the things we do every day?
Sometimes we just do things without thinking about why we do them. During the winter months, I spend a lot of time in Headquarters putting together schedules, figuring out camper retention rates, going to camp fairs, processing applications and setting up interviews, and generally focusing on what is right in front of me. I can sometimes lose sight of the fact that if I do all of these things really well, I will be able to enjoy seeing thousands of smiles looking back at me on the faces of campers, staff , and parents during our summer months. Even though that is what inspires me, I I don’t always think about it when I am involved in a tedious task that is nowhere near as fun as playing Carpetball with Kevin Sherman, or watching Griffith DiSabato play the air drums at Winter Camp, or being amazed by the sportsmanship that the Red Team and the Black team showed one another at Color War.
I was reminded of all the things that make Camp great over this past Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I attended the Northeast Y Camp Conference at the Frost Valley YMCA with Rich Rupert, Lynn Passarella, Joe Elliott, Rich Rinaldi, Dave Kaubin, and over 200 other Y Camp Staffers from all over the Northeast. We spent 3 days talking about nothing but CAMP! It was awesome! Besides sending 1 email, I didn’t look at a computer the whole time I was away. We shared new program ideas, talked about different staff training sessions, and attended workshops led by some of the smartest Camp folks in the business. It reminded me why our work is so important and inspired me to get through all of Winter paperwork so we can be ready to have a terrific Camp season this summer. I have a lot of work to do before Session 1 starts, but it will be well worth it once the campers arrive!!!
Brent Birchler
Boys Camp Director