Meet a Director: Cat and Peter
Last month, we introduced you to Jimboy, and now we’re moving down the family tree a bit - his daughter, and son-in-law,
These two have their hands in just about everything camp does from the off-season all the way through the summer, and they want to make your staff experience great. Have questions or an idea for how to make camp better? They’re all ears - shoot them an email!
Get to Know Cat and Peter:
- Years at camp: Cat was a camper for 12 years, and this is her 16th year on staff. Peter worked on Men Staff for a couple years before serving as the Travel Director (fun fact!), and then joining our year-round team in 2023.
- During the year, we…. support our year-round team and contribute to planning lots of aspects of the summer. When we’re not at camp, you can find us walking our perfect Golden Retriever, Ben, or checking off our bucket list of Greenville restaurants.
- Come find us if… You want to talk through a tricky situation or celebrate a win!
- These are a few of our favorite things: The Pitt, Jersey Mikes, and going to comedy shows. Peter is begging you to talk comedy with him this summer!
- Something we’re loving right now: Cat is really into this devotion book and Peter is obsessed with meal prepping with these freezer cubes. Exciting times in the Elbaum household!
- Something we want you to know about this summer: it will be different from what you expect but has the potential to be so much better! Come in flexible and willing to make it all about the campers and you won’t be disappointed.
- Our best advice to counselors is… pray all the time! None of us can do this job relying on our own strength, but the Lord works in our weakness and He is already preparing the way for you to make an impact this summer.
- Working at Greystone as a counselor is… the most you’ll ever laugh and the best investment you can make in your future self!
Preparing for Camp
In March, we’ll start sending you some very practical ways to get ready for the summer (think filling out your staff forms, ordering from the Staff Store, signing up for a Staff Penpal, and more fun to-do’s), so February is a great time to read up on all things Greystone.
We’d encourage you to use this month to explore all of the information and resources we have available to you. The more you know about camp, the more confident you’ll feel on that first day of Orientation! Have questions? That’s what we’re here for!
- Explore our website and the staff website. Here you’ll find everything from our daily schedule and special events to cabin life and food at camp. You can also learn more about what we believe at Greystone and the incredible history of camp that you are now a part of! It’s a great way to spend a study break.
- Check out our New Camper Blogs. We do this series every spring, and while (of course!), it is targeted towards new campers and their families, it also has a lot of good information that could be helpful to you as a staff member. You may be interested in how Opening Day works, food allergies, packing for traditions, a cabin tour, or other details like cabin cleanup and mail.
- Watch some videos. We pulled a few staff-specific videos together in this Staff Manual page, but you may also be interested in a day in the life of a camper, food at camp, or all about our Evening Programs. Just for fun: this Penpal friendship story is one of our faves!
- Check out our devotions site for spiritual growth even before you arrive. You can subscribe to get a devotion emailed to you each morning and listen to Morning Assembly and Sunday church messages from past summers. This Blog shares a few of our favorite devotion resources!
- Read through the Staff Manual. As you’ve seen, we add a few pages each month, and we recommend that you read them as you go instead of waiting until May to cram it all in! February is a great time to start.
Hiring Spotlight: Our Team Is Almost Full!
Yes - you read that right! We have had more staff applications this year than ever before, and it won’t be long before we’re filling our final spots.
We are still hiring for these areas…
- Men Staff
- High Adventure and High Ropes
- Canoeing
- Glass Beads and Glass Fusion
- Tennis
- And a few more!
Do you have a friend who would be perfect for our team this summer? Don’t wait - fill out that referral form today! If we hire your friend, you get paid, they get a job, and you get to be at camp together - such a WIN.
FAQ Corner
You are not alone - so many staff feel this way before their first summer. Many of our 2026 staff are brand new to camp (special shoutout to those who found us on Google!), and some of those who were once campers haven’t been back in a long time. Every year, some of our very best staff members are those who come into Orientation brand new to Greystone, so don’t fear!
In the meantime, you can know for sure…
- You will make friends so quickly once you’re here! Camp people are the best around, and your fellow staffers wouldn’t be working here if they weren’t ready and eager to make a new bestie.
- We are going to teach you everything you need to know to be a great counselor. Between the materials we’ll send you before the summer, packed Orientation sessions, and the one-on-one guidance you’ll get when you’re here, you will be fully prepared for your job. We hired you because we know you’re going to be great - trust us!
- We are your biggest cheerleaders in this job, and we want you to lean on us! Reach out and ask questions. Tell us if you’re feeling nervous. Or just send us an email to say hi. We are going to take care of you, and it is going to be a great summer!
Spotlight: Growing as a Leader at Camp
When you chose to work at a camp, you knew it would be a fun, light-hearted way to spend your summer - right?
But we’re here to tell you that this summer job is a whole lot more than just fun. Working as a Greystone counselor gives you the chance to practice your leadership skills and grow as an employee in an encouraging and grace-filled environment while surrounded by people who love you! Here are just a few things you have to look forward to:
- Ample opportunities to step up as a leader. Your campers are watching you and will do as you do, so every minute of the counselor job is about leadership! You will also have chances every day to take initiative and responsibility if you’re looking for them. It’s possible to float through your summer without stretching yourself, but we would encourage you now to look for opportunities to grow - they are everywhere!
- Practicing skills that will serve your career in the future. There’s a reason employers love hiring camp counselors - camp skills are life skills! At Greystone, you will learn to work on a team, give and receive constructive feedback, think on your feet to solve problems with creativity, and have a good attitude, even when things are hard. Of course, no one here does these things perfectly, but camp is a safe place to practice these leadership and interpersonal skills.
- An environment designed to help you grow. From Orientation to Closing Day, we want to help you use your strengths, set goals for yourself, and flourish here on staff. That starts with a leadership team who puts you as the priority and is here to support you in any way we can (now and during the summer!). If you ever have ideas, questions, or thoughts to share, we are all ears. We’re on your team - now and in the future!
Staff Manual: February Edition
The Staff Manual is our hub for all the general information you need to know to do this job well. This month, we’re narrowing in on what it looks like to be a great counselor and the characteristics we strive to cultivate as a staff every year.
Pray with us!
This month we’re inviting you to pray along with us for a very important group: our camp parents! Over the next few months, they will be filling out forms, making Target runs, labeling clothes, packing trunks, and hugging their sweet girls goodbye. We never want to take for granted what a big deal it is that they entrust us (and you!) with their daughters.
So let’s pray together this month for all the parents who will be bringing their girls to Greystone this summer. Pray that they would feel completely confident with their decision and know that it will be a great experience for their family. Pray that they would have the words to use if their campers get a little worried about what’s to come. Pray that they would communicate openly with us beforehand, and pray that God will prepare their hearts, as well as their daughters’, for the summer to come.
Verse to meditate on:
“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”- Psalm 16:5-11
