With the Help Of Our Friends

The cabin unit is the heart and soul of the Camp Highlander culture. It fosters a sense of belonging and value in each and every one of its campers. It provides a safety net for healthy risk-taking and comfort for campers to feel loved and supported just the way they are.

Thanks to modern technology, you have a window into the world of camp each day through the photos we post. These photos tell the most beautiful stories about camp - new friendships being made, the pride of a completed art project or the thrill of jumping off the blob. However, these photos can’t possibly tell you all the details or the true magic of camp. There are deeper lessons, valuable life skills and personal achievements happening every moment of every day, and these are the things that make camp a priceless experience.

Today was one of those photo worthy moments that holds a story more precious than the photo could tell. Today a camper from our youngest girls cabin was scared to jump off the diving board at the pool. As camper after camper proceeded to take the plunge, she tried to work up the courage to try herself. She just couldn’t do it…until…suddenly, her whole cabin started clapping and chanting her name over and over again. Imagine “Eye of the Tiger” playing in the background, and you can almost picture this moment, like a scene from a movie. With determination and confidence, this camper lit up with pride, ran down the diving board and jumped. I don’t know who was more excited at this moment, the camper or her cabinmates!!

This is the power of a cabin unit. In moments like this, we see that the camp experience is more about the group than the individual. When our campers feel a part of something bigger than themselves, and there is genuine support that empowers them to achieve more with a little help from their friends. As a cabin group, we live, work and play together each and every day, but with our friends by our side, we accomplish more than we ever could alone. It’s only day two…so stay tuned, because we plan to do more than “get by” with a little help from our friends! We plan to avhieve more, experience more and enjoy more!

Favorite Details of the Day

• Reflect at the Rock: This morning at reflect I told a short story about the importance of gratitude. Gratitude doesn’t always come naturally to us because it is easy to focus on the negative or what isn’t going our way. We have to train ourselves to see the things we are thankful for, choose to focus on them and appreciate all things. Gratitude is a choice that you make each and every day. This session we are choosing to give thanks for the gift of camp, the friendships we are building and the memories that we are making here on Old Forge.
• Assembly: I have to add this morning’s assembly to my favorites today. Monday’s assembly is Move It Monday, and today I was asked to lead our movement by doing a zumba routine with ALL of camp!! It was SO MUCH FUN and the BEST way to start our day! Everyone stood up and danced with me…EVERYONE! No fear, no shame, boys, girls, young, old, staff, camper…everyone got up and tried to move it with me! As I looked out, all I could see was a sea of smiles and so much laughter as they got up to move their bodies with an old lady this morning! Oh but the smiles..they were worth it even if they were laughing at me! I loved it!
• Weather: We woke up to overcast skies and cooler temperatures this morning, which was awesome. To be honest, an overcast sky with no rain is a wonderful backdrop to enjoy camp activities and not get too hot. We are thankful for today’s weather.
• Meals: For breakfast this morning we had french toast sticks, scrambled eggs and sausage links with a fresh fruit and yogurt bar. For lunch we had turkey and cheese ciabatta sandwiches with Miss Vickie’s assorted kettle chips and salad bar. For dinner we had spaghetti and meatsauce, roasted broccoli, garlic bread and salad bar.
• EP: The Monday night evening program was cabin challenge! I love this first Monday camp tradition because it brings cabins together in costume and competition! Cabins worked together and competed in games against other cabins like Pictionary, Tic-Tac-Toe relay, musical ice buckets, sponge pass relay, ships and sailors, Rock, Paper, Scissors and more! The goal was the ultimate prize of the EP trophy. In the end, Cabin 33 won the cabin challenge and claimed the trophy, but fun was had by all!