The Counselors Who Changed Our Lives

It’s no secret around here: counselors make Greystone what it is! Our staff are fun, loving, empathetic, creative, intelligent, and just about the coolest people we (or our campers!) have ever met. Most importantly, they love Jesus and love children. When we ask in their interviews why they want to give up their entire summer to work hard in a job that’s rarely glamorous and not always fun, we usually get the same answer: because of the campers. They want to invest in girls’ lives, encourage them, and be the kind of mentors they would have wanted when they were that age.

When a counselor comes into the summer with that desire, her impact can be huge! Research continues to show that caring relationships with trusted adults are essential in girls’ lives. Knowing that you are loved, delighted in, and cared for by your counselor (not just during the summer, but all year long) is transformative.

Any alumna can name one counselor (or many!) who had this kind of impact on her life, and we’re sharing just a few stories here. Which counselor comes to mind for you? or better yet, reach out to her to say thank you. Glory be to God for the way He has used Greystone counselors over the years!

Mary Allen Edgerton’s Counselor: Harriett Harris

“They say that one person can change your life, and I know this to be true! It was a Sunday afternoon at Main camp in 1979, and I knew campers were invited to go down to the Canoe Dock to work on levels. I remember wandering up to Harriett Harris, the fabulous Head of the Canoeing program, and asking if she would work with me. Harriett had developed an incredible whitewater canoeing program, and all I wanted was to be a part of it!

As Harriett patiently kneeled on the side of the Canoe Dock with me, I remember feeling welcomed to be there. Her passion for teaching the correct strokes was palpable! I was much younger than the other whitewater paddlers, but she never once made me feel uncomfortable or unable to handle the rivers. Her confidence in me nurtured the confidence I needed in myself to tackle the rivers, and to take that confidence into other parts of my life. Literally

We were awakened each morning on river trips with her singing “Oh What a Beautiful Morning.” She taught us to start each day with a good attitude, showing gratitude for the gifts of God around us! We learned the importance of scouting upcoming rapids to prepare for what lay ahead, and we learned to take pride in making every stroke with precision and intentionality. Most of all, we learned that we were capable of handling anything the river presented. We learned to dig deep and stay the course. We learned that anything worth doing is worth doing well, with all you have to give it, and to the best of your ability.

To this day, during the tough moments in my life, I picture myself sitting in a canoe alone and terrified of the rapid ahead, but hearing Harriett’s voice guiding me and encouraging me to move forward! Garth Brooks’ song, The River, is precious to me as it encapsulates what Harriett taught us: “Don’t sit upon the shoreline and say you’re satisfied; choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance the tides.” I try to choose to live fully into the rapids of life and to have the confidence to dance the tides that come with it, knowing that by giving my best, step-by-step and stroke-by-stroke, I will live the life God intended for me. This is my mantra that began all those years ago on the Canoe Dock at camp, kneeling by the one person who, other than my parents, has had the most positive impact on my life. Harriett Harris changed my life through her lessons on paddling - and on living!”

Kelley Clemens McElroy’s Counselors: Jennifer Boone West and Ainsley Fisher Tillman

“I met Jennifer Boone my first summer at Greystone in 1992 - she was my Group Leader! I spent many hours in her office as I was super homesick that summer. She prayed with me and encouraged me daily to really embrace camp. One afternoon while sitting in her office, I asked her to pray with me to accept Jesus in my life - it still is such a core memory for me. I am so thankful for Jennifer!

Ainsley Fisher Tillman was (and still is!) camp famous. Everyone knew Ainsley. I was super stoked to have her as my counselor in 1997 in C9W. She taught me that summer to not only be goofy and have fun, but to truly love who God intended me to be. She also made the most beautiful card with affirmations inside for Queens Ball (now Senior Celebration). It hangs in my living room today!”

Caroline Bullock’s Counselor: Rebecca Marshburn Sellers

“One of the counselors that had an impact on my life was Rebecca Marshburn. For starters, she was one of my early Main Camp counselors, and her ability to make that summer so fun and memorable was a huge reason I continued coming to Main Camp through Senior Senior year! Her unadulterated, pure joy for life was infectious and made everyone around her (campers included!) rise to her level of joy. Another reason I think of Rebecca is because she taught Cross Country that summer at camp. I wasn’t a runner at that point in my life, but I signed up anyway because I wanted to take her class. That summer, I fell in love with running and working out for fun, thanks to Rebecca. It’s stuck with me until this day - I just completed my first marathon in May!”

Melanie Williams’ Counselor: Ceci Crane Churchwell

“I spent four summers at Greystone, and I had the same counselor for three of those years: Ceci Crane Churchwell. I will always be grateful for the way Ceci touched my life. She and I are still friends today and text each other often!

Ceci would always write to me after our summers together (this was before cell phones and text messages!). She even sent me a letter (with very cool stamps on it) from a different country when she went on a mission trip. Ceci also visited me in Florida one summer after camp.

I lost my mother to cancer after my sophomore year of high school, and two weeks later, I was on a plane heading to Greystone. That summer, Ceci always made sure I was doing okay and showed me how to look to Christ.

When it came time for the 100th year Greystone reunion, I wasn’t sure I wanted to make the trip from Chicago, but as soon as I found out that Ceci was going, I knew I wanted to see her again. We had a great weekend together, and she will always be someone I hold very close to my heart!”

JaneAnn Laffitte Walker’s Counselors: Anna Perry Stevens, Ellen-Anne Harboe, and Leland Hollowell Reynolds

“Beginning with my youngest days as a camper, Anna Perry Stevens was my cabin counselor who made every day fun! Her joyful disposition inspired me to live my life to the fullest. Whether it was her big smile or contagious laugh, I realized that she exemplified having the joy of the Lord and an attitude of gratitude, everything I wanted to be too.

Oh, if the walls of Cabin 5 could talk! Ellen-Anne Harboe was not only my cabin counselor during my middle school years, but to this day, she is considered to be one of the biggest role models in my life. Her outlook on inner beauty and her relationship with others impacted me to always be my true self and to be kind to others. Realizing at a young age that my identity was founded in Christ and nothing else, she helped me be content in who God created me to be.

Can I get a silent celebrate for Leland Hollowell Reynolds, who was not only my cabin counselor during my high school years but also, one of my biggest cheerleaders. Her encouragement and positivity is what impacted me to be a camp counselor and a cheerleader for others. The biggest takeaway I learned that summer, and still reflect on today, is trusting God with the plans he has for me and realizing that his plans are far greater than anything I could ever hope or imagine. Thank you, Camp Greystone, for blessing me with these amazing counselors who not only made an impact in my life but remain friends to this day!”

Elizabeth Green Ausband’s Counselors: Lee Barnhardt Hatling, Maria Palacos, Laura Grace Alexander, and Dana Cunningham

“Every counselor I had at Greystone was truly wonderful. From Upper 2 to Cabin 12, each one made a lasting impression on my life. In Upper 2, Lee Barnhardt played her guitar and sang so beautifully to us at night; those songs from the summer of 1976 are still vivid in my memory. In 1981, Maria Palacos encouraged Cabin 6 to memorize Psalm 139, and through her, I first understood that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. In Cabin 12, our Senior Senior summer, Laura Grace Alexander and Dana Cunningham led with such joy, faith, and talent that their example changed my life. LG and Dana, each so full of life and love, brilliance and fun, invited us to be more, try more, love more, and forever deepened my desire to know Christ. I am forever grate

Brittany Baird Griffin’s Counselor: Muff Davidson Haverstic

“I was a camper at Greystone from ‘86-‘93. During that time, I truly had the most wonderful counselors, but the one who was my ride-or-die was Margaret Davidson, aka the wonderful Muff! I lived at the pool to hear her advice and wisdom. Watching how hard she worked on the Watershow made me work hard in Synchronized Swimming to make her proud. But in the end, the hard work always made me proud of what we could do and how the show always turned out. She helped me build confidence and the willingness to try new things even if I thought they were too hard. She kept us laughing in the Dining Hall, but I don’t think we kept her laughing the year we were in cabin 1, and she was next door and heard Blondie’s “The Tide is High” literally over a thousand times. We taught her patience that summer, but she taught me a lifetime of preserving, trying when it’s hard, listening, and friendship.”