Welcome To Camp!
Thank you for making today possible. YOUR support and encouragement throughout this crazy year has been remarkable and deeply appreciated by all of us at Greystone. Today, as we welcomed you back to camp, the joy was profoundly felt by us all and it is my privilege to officially say “THANK YOU” for allowing us to once again open the gates of Greystone to another wonderful group of girls.
I will be writing daily blogs that will fill you in on what is going on in a timely fashion. I usually upload before lunch so you can include the details in your emails to the girls. Knowing things like what we are eating, what the EP will be, the weather, etc. makes your communications (emails and handwritten letters) better! Use the blog to turn the attention to camp (rather than focusing on what is going on at home). Hopefully, it helps!
I also use the blog to reflect on some of the facets of what makes camp so good for children… why girls grow so much while they are here. Many of you have no experience in camping and have very little idea about what to expect. You probably thought that this would be a fun thing to try out, a way for your children to play outside for a couple of weeks. Your expectations might not be very high… and I would like you to expect A LOT from this deceptively simple experience. The blog paints the picture in words, but we know you want more than words. You want to SEE your girls… so e take a lot of photos every day.
We will post photos twice a day, at lunch (about 1:00 PM) and after EP (about 9:30 PM). We try to get at least one photo of every camper every day… and sometimes a lot more. If you don’t want to look at all the photos you should consider the Waldo service. It is very effective at pulling your camper out of the thousands of photos, thus saving a lot of time! If using the Waldo service, help train it in the first days by adding photos of your daughter… it learns quickly and is very good.
As I write this the girls are in their cabins after eating a picnic lunch (smoked turkey, pasta salad, ham, home-baked bread, fruit salad, cheese, brownies). The temperature is a perfect 80 degrees and there is no chance of rain (unusual for the WNC mountains).
This afternoon we will have a short assembly to explain the camp rules and introduce the people who are here to help with ANY needs that the girls might have. We are very good at making this first day a good one… if there are any unmet needs, we will make sure that need is taken care of immediately. Abundant provision with a smile! After the assembly, the girls will take cabin photos, do a swim test at the pool, and enjoy activities around camp with their cabin. Lots of fun and games to make the get-to-know-you process easy for all.
Tonight we will enjoy our first meal in the FORT (spaghetti), our first EP (Counselor Program Skits), our first crackers, first cabin devotions, and tuck-ins, first taps, first night of sleep in a cabin. I am sure we will wake up tomorrow with high hopes for our first full day of camp.
A few thoughts about the new drop off plan:
- The campers like it! The independence and cabin team building begins immediately as they unpack, make their bed, decorate their bunk, and get to know each other. LOTS of smiles… and having something to do during those awkward first moments is great! The cabins are less crowded too (Moms take up a lot of room!) and it isn’t as crazy.
- The counselors like it! They focus 100% on the campers rather than splitting their attention with the parents.
- The Support Crew likes it! Moving trunks is hard work, but this system is easier and the trunks arrive at the cabins quicker.
- Parents like it! The almost unanimous opinion of parent surveys so far.
Let us know your thoughts… we will be sending surveys on closing day and will welcome your insights. We know it is hard to drop off your camper without even seeing her cabin or meeting her counselors, but in these extraordinary times, we are trying a lot of new systems! Some of them are better than what we used to do… we always listen to you!
Thank you for your prayers and for your support.
We Love Your Girls!
