Have you ever wondered what all goes on in the off-season? Do all the directors and full-time staff just hang-out or take a long vacation? Quite the opposite! The off-season at camp is busy all the time with various things from enrolling campers, hiring staff, keeping camp looking beautiful, and so much more!

We have asked all of our full-time staff to answer these three questions so you can learn more about what happens when campers aren’t here!

 

– What are some of your main roles during the off-season?

– What is your favorite thing about the off-season at camp?

– What are you looking forward to about this summer?

 

John –

  • My main role in the off-season is to recruit campers and TL staff. I visit families and do recruiting events and also spend a lot of time on college campuses recruiting counselors.
  • My favorite thing about the off-season is planning what we get to do for summer! Meeting a family and having them sign up for camp or hiring an outstanding counselor are the highlights of my work, I get so excited about them experiencing camp in the summer.
  • I’m looking forward to starting a new chapter in Timberlake’s story at the new property.

 

Tracey –

  • My main roles during the off-season include enrolling campers, talking to parents, and answering questions about camp.
  • My favorite thing about the office in the off-season: It is so QUIET in here! 🙂
  • Looking forward to in summer: the days in the office fly by!

 

Samantha –

  • My main roles include enrolling campers, answering parent questions, and getting ready for all the home shows, just to name a few.
  • My favorite thing about the off-season is the quiet!
  • I am looking forward to seeing all of our planning and organization come together!

 

Adam –

  • My chief job is to support the team in three things – hiring the best staff, recruiting the best campers, and developing the best property/making our program better every year; I love every minute of it. I also oversee a lot of the administrative things like taxes, insurance, etc., and I really enjoy these things too. I love spending nine months setting the stage so our camper have the best four weeks of their lives.
  • My favorite thing about the off-season is working every day with our core leadership team. There are about ten of us. Some are young and smart, others are old and wise. We really have a great mix and it makes every day fun. My other favorite thing is traveling to meet new families. There’s nothing better than telling others about what should be the best summers of their lives.
  • Two things I look forward to. 1. Helping new staff see why their first job should be their best because they get to help campers love adventure, love each other, and experience the gospel. Where else do we get to do that? 2. Timberlake’s new property, and Merri-Mac’s new space means that everything will be different, which is a chance for everything to be better. This really is a landmark summer!

 

Ann –

  • My main role in the off-season is Merri-wear! You can never have too much!
  • My favorite thing about the off-season is preparing for summer. For me, the first day of camp is like Christmas day. I love all of the planning, dreaming, and organizing that goes into it. And then the big day arrives and I get to see all of the camper’s faces when they roll in and all of the planning, dreaming, and organizing pays off.
  • I’m looking forward to the sounds of camp… laughing, tribe cheers, slamming screen doors, bugles and best of all – singing.

 

Bobby –

  • Two of my main roles in the off-season deal with wildlife management and groundskeeping. Wildlife management: I keep the geese out of the lake, the raccoons out of the big house, the bears out of the dumpsters, the squirrels in the trees and the birds on the feeder!  I let the deer do what they want.  Grounds Keeper: I keep the sticks up, the grass down, the leaves away, the creek clean, the roads smooth, and the wood cut for next summer’s camp fires.
  •  My favorite thing about the off-season at camp is when it snows and everything is blanketed in a soft, deep stillness.         
  • What I’m looking forward to summer is Chapel songs, Tweedles screeching, chicken- patty day, and Iroquois pride!                                                       

 

Claire –

  • Some of my main roles during the off-season include traveling to colleges to recruit staff, interviewing and hiring staff, connecting with returning staff and encouraging them to develop their skills in the off-season, as well as getting supplies and materials ready for the summer.
  • My favorite thing about the off-season is the stillness of camp – and the anticipation of a great summer around the corner. I also LOVE the snow! There are some great places to sled around camp 🙂
  • I am looking forward to an awesome summer filled with laughter and singing, to seeing campers and staff grow, and to making new relationships.

 

Bryan –

  • My main role in the off-season is shepherding the land from farm to camp at the new Camp Timberlake property
  • My favorite thing about the off-season is knowing every camper has a brand new summer of fun in store no matter how long they have camped with us as they grow another year older
  • I am looking forward to hearing the sound of fun every day this summer.

 

Catherine –

  • My main role during the off-season is hiring the best possible staff to make camp great!
  • I love the space to reflect back on the summer in order to make the next year even better.
  • I am looking forward to seeing more campers and staff join the adventure of camp!