I get asked this question a lot… a lot, a lot! So it is now my personal mission to show everyone the day-to-day of camp when it is not summer.

Here are some of the cool things I get to do when it is not summer:

1) Plan for summer
I get to go through all of our programming and decide what stays and what doesn’t, what supplies we need, change up the schedule, decide on the themes - I basically get to be a really cool party planner!

2) Interview and hire the best staff
I am lucky enough to meet some of the most amazing people from all over the world. It usually starts through an email or a phone call, and if we can arrange it, I get to take the person to lunch or coffee and get to find out what makes them them. If it is a potential new staff member, I will have them visit camp and give them the tour. I spend a lot of time on the phone talking with their references and learning more about them. This all takes between two to six weeks to complete, that’s why it is best to get your application in early!

3) Camper Recruitment/ Retention
I travel all around the Southeast visiting with camp families and helping them host Hometown Rallies. Kids love to share camp with their friends and these visits make it possible! I also am able to blog, Twitter, and Facebook (and it is all part of my job!) to keep everyone up-to-date with camp happenings. I also talk with camp families about improvements, changes, and what is going great - hopefully, I’ll call and get to talk with your family this spring (feel free to email or call me with those things too). I also attend camp fairs, visit schools, host our Open Houses - keep coming back for more info on those!

4) Facilities and Grounds Improvement
Camp gets used by thousands of people each year and didn’t really get a break! Well this year, from January through mid-April, we have rearranged our Outdoor Environmental Education and Group Camping schedules to allow this to happen. So what does that look like?!

Shawnee’s new showers

Shawnee and Natchez (the red Pathfinder cabins) have had their bathrooms completely demolished and are currently being rebuilt. The roadfront cabins (beginning with Seminole/Comanche) are having the bathrooms repainted and the showers tiled!

5) Working with Volunteers
During the summer, my primary focus is our campers, staff, and camp families. So our wonderful world of volunteers does not get to see all of the staff that much (if at all!). Right now, I am getting to work with our Board of Management on our Strong Kids Campaign. Check our note on this! One of the other amazing things our volunteers do is help us get camp ready for summer. Our volunteers include alumni, camp families, Board members, and others in the community that love camp! This spring we will have a Cosby Cleanup (March 27th) during which we will focus on Adventure Village.

I hope this begins to answer that question! Let me know if you want to know more.

In the Cosby Spirit,

Sabrina McClain
Program Director

1-800-85-COSBY
smcclain@campcosby.org
Follow camp on Twitter: @CampCosby and @CosbyCITs

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/CampCosby

Filed under: Alumni News, Camp News, Facilities, Summer Camp on February 10th, 2010