Counselor Leah's Staff Interview

     Leah's first year of counseling has been a wonderful addition the the CW family!  She has brought a great energy, attitude, and new ideas that her campers are very thankful for.  This week, we interviewed her for some of her thoughts on camp life and her favorite parts about Whitman so far.

Leah and campers cake decorating

How did you hear about Camp Whitman?

     I knew about Camp Whitman because I came as a camper!  I'm not sure how my parents heard of the camp, but maybe it was through my aunt who also went here when she was camper age.

What have been some of your favorite activities this year?

     One of my favorite activities was paper making with All About the Arts.  Paper making is something I've been doing since I was little, so it was really awesome teaching others how to do it.

Leah making paper with some campers

What has surprised you about working at Camp Whitman?

     I was surprised by how easy it was to get back into the swing of being at camp.  Everyone; campers, counselors, and leadership are so welcoming and excited to be here - it's great.

Counselors, Leah and Erin, working with their campers to create a Play

If you had a piece of advice for a first year counselor what would it be?

    "Fake it 'til you make it" is definitely helpful, but also asking for help when you need it.

Leah playing Fetch with Pastor Colin's dog at C-field

Please describe Camp Whitman in one word.

Important.

Wilderness Survival Camp!

     This week's high school camp was Wilderness Survival, where their counselors worked with them to learn new outdoor skills and survival techniques.   On Thursday morning this group went to the Cayuga Nature Center and had the opportunity to observe many different kinds of animals and enjoy the outdoors.

Camper Samantha, with our Counselor Lacey

6 story Tree Fort

     We had the opportunity to observe several types of snakes, a few of which were in the midst of shedding their skins, which was something a couple of campers (and staff) found very interesting to observe.  There were also turtles, flying squirrels, and many other animals, including a Peacock, Peahen and his family of newly hatched chicks.

One of the snakes shedding its skin while we visited

Martin observing some of the reptiles

 One of the last activities the campers were able to participate in, was exploring inside of enormous tree fort that Cayuga Nature Center had on their site.  This was definitely some of the campers' favorite event of the day, and we all spent some quality time hanging out in the very top of the fort talking about the week.

Samantha and Phoebe saying hello from the fort

The very top of the fort

Samantha, Matt, Pastor Leah, and Phoebe enjoying the view

   

Keeping Cool at Camp!

     This week is gearing up to be one of the warmest our campers have experienced yet this summer, but that isn't stopping our campers and staff from having fun.  Monday night, our graded campers played an instincts field game that involved gaining life chips and food/water points without getting tagged by anyone else.  Even when it started raining the campers had a great attitude and continued playing a couple more rounds before drying off.

Campers playing instincts

The game continues in spite of some sprinkling

This morning our camps got off to a great start, beginning with our Day Campers enjoying a slip-n-slide before their swim lessons.

Counselor Ben, getting our campers ready for the Slip-n-Slide

     Our Experience campers also had a chance to practice their sailing a little bit more this morning, before our Bike and Kayak camp went out on the lake to enjoy a floating lunch in their kayaks.

Experience campers, rigging their boats

Enjoying the water and the sun!

CICIT Guest Blog: Part 3

     This week we are going to be featuring guest blogs from our CIT campers from last week.  They are giving details about their experiences as well as their overall impression of what it meant to be a counselor at Camp Whitman.  This blog was written by CIT counselor, Shane Dubois.

2014 CIT campers

     When I was driving down Whitman Road for the 10th time in 7 years I had no clear idea what to expect in CIT this week. One thing I did know, it wasn't going be like any other camp I had ever been to in my past years of Whitman. After meeting my counselors Ileya and Jess, who I had never had before in past weeks at camp.  After doing name games and the normal safety hike, I knew that my life was never going to be the same.      

      Early in the week we had a deep discussion around the campfire and it amazed me that people would go that deep with people they barely knew. I immediately revisited the deep trust issues I had through the years and threw them out knowing I could trust this group to the sun and back. We also had an opportunity to have a vespers with Colin the wonderful volunteer Chaplin, and he asked us about what our story was and I really had to think. I've always thought as this average teenager from Elmira but Colin was really making me think and so I did, I'm was at this table with 4 other people who want to make a difference in at least one person’s life. Colin also asked us to describe one time in our life when we saw Jesus working in our lives or our favourite biblical story, most of us chose to describe when we saw Jesus’ work. I described when a man asked me to go to Camp Whitman and how every time I come to camp I take so much back with me every year.

CITs at all camp vespers, worship service

     We got the opportunity to work with almost all the camps that were there that week! I'll start with Pine, our camp for people with developmental disabilities. Pine is so easy to work with for me because my mom is disabled and I applied skills that I've used with her for years to working with pine. Taking time explaining the activity, fellow camper James and I led the "Sports and Games" camp and personally worked with that camp and all the other camps. It was incredible working with the Adventures camp and the Day camp. I had always had a good sense of planning things just not a clear way of executing things that I had planned, but I quickly learned a great way of doing this with Pine campers and also Graded campers. We also learned useful strategies to use when working with campers.

CITs working with our Day Campers

     We also had a service project that we worked on throughout the week, which was cleaning and making the stairway that leads from main field to where the Pine cabins are located. On the last day we sat on the bridge that was pretty much finished and talked and reflected back on the week. After some self thought when I got home I soon realized how much Jess and Ileya had helped me grow so much throughout the week and how blessed I really was to do CIT this year.

CIT campers standing on the stairs that they worked on this week

    After saying my goodbyes to my fellow counselors-in-training and getting in my car and driving down Whitman Road and Rt. 14 back to Elmira I had no words as people asked me how my week was it was the most life changing experience I have ever had and I am exited to devote the rest of my summer to volunteering with the wonderful ministry that is Camp Whitman on Seneca Lake!       

CIT Guest Blog: Part 2

      This week we are going to be featuring guest blogs from our CIT campers from last week.  They are giving details about their experiences as well as their overall impression of what it meant to be a counselor at Camp Whitman.  Our second blog was written by CIT counselor, Delaney Lukwoski.

2014 CIT campers

  The past week at CIT camp was fantastic. At first, on Sunday and Monday, I was a bit apprehensive about it because I wasn’t confident in myself. Being, even partially responsible for campers made me a bit uneasy. I knew that I was inexperienced and that made me very nervous. The worst possible situations kept coming to mind when I thought of having to lead campers. On the flip side of that I was beyond excited about being a CIT. After being a camper for six summers before this, I felt like I would be really good at this because of all my experiences at camp that I enjoyed and I would get a taste of what being a counselor is like. I had so many conflicting feelings about it.

Delaney working with a Day Camper

As the week went on, I became a lot more comfortable working with the campers. My counselors, Jess and Ileya were awesome. They were always giving us all helpful hints and tips on things; like how to get the campers attention; how to keep them focused and how to get all of them to participate in the activities. The first time we worked with campers was when we canoed with the Adventure camp. I was a bit nervous because I have never been a great canoer, I’ve always been better at kayaking and preferred it. The campers in my canoe were afraid of tipping over the boat, so to keep their minds off that fear I decided to ask them about their interests. Not only did talking calm them down, but it made me less tense about the canoe trip as well. I ended up really enjoying canoeing and really look forward to doing it again.

Volunteer Chaplain, Colin, winding up with a pillow
to help get Delaney out of bed

...and the follow through

Getting to know all of the campers was one of favorite parts of being a CIT. I love just talking with all of them. Hearing about why camp is so important to them and how they’ve made so many friends throughout the years and always plan what week they are coming so they can see all of them again. I enjoy it so much because it’s exactly what I’ve always done when I’m at camp. I also liked planning the crafts and games we got the opportunity to lead at the end of the week because it gave me a chance to think about what some of my favorites are. I aspire to become a counselor because I want campers to have the same wonderful memories and experiences at camp that I have had.

CITs on the stairs that they worked on to make more safe for our campers

When we had our meeting with Rhonda on Friday about our past week, she asked us how we felt our week went. I told her I thought the week went extremely well. I was ten times more confident in my leadership skills and felt like I had a good idea of what being a counselor would be like. I connected and related with several of the campers and it made me even more eager to become a counselor. Later on in the meeting she made a joke about the CIT camp being a camp where you pay to come and “work”. I found this quite comical because if that is what working at Camp Whitman is like, then working for them is going to be a breeze. I’d forget it’s work in mere seconds, it’s more fun than it is work. 

CITs participating in our Wednesday Vespers service

            

CIT Guest Blog: Part I

     This week we are going to be featuring guest blogs from our CIT campers from last week.  They are giving details about their experiences as well as their overall impression of what it meant to be a counselor at Camp Whitman.  Our first blog was written by CIT counselor, James Yoon.

2014 CIT campers and counselors

Reflecting upon my Counselor-In-Training experience at Camp Whitman, I can only recall fond memories. My experience as a CIT was not only eye-opening, but it taught me skills that would be useful for the rest of my life.

One thing I learned from this week is that being a counselor is not easy. The second thing is that it isn't impossibly hard, either. Although it is quite a big responsibility to babysit twenty campers for over 100 hours. Yet, a counselor is a teacher, a parent, a social worker, a spiritual guide, all built into one. And that's what's so rewarding about being a counselor. It's beautiful. Glorious.

CITs working with our day campers

During this week, under the direction of my phenomenal counselors, Ileya and Jess, and our Graded Camp Coordinator, Courtney, we spent lots of time interacting with campers of various age groups, skill levels, personalities, and cultural backgrounds. Slowly but surely, we learned to lead entire activities smoothly with minimal help!

More than anything, my experience with the Pine campers was the most meaningful to me, mostly because I had a prejudice toward people with disabilities before. To be completely honest, I used to feel scared and uncomfortable around them. However, from this experience, I finally understood that people with disablilities are human beings just like us and that they deserve to be respected like anyone else. They have a strong faith too, maybe even stronger than any of ours.

Speaking of faith, we looked into that during this week, too. With the guidance of Pastor Colin, my fellow CIT campers and I explored our faiths and assessed our connection with God. As Pastor Colin put it, we began telling each of the beginning of our personal stories, of why we are where we are today. Through this experience, I came closer to God and formed strong bonds with other campers, counselors, and of course, Pastor Colin.

So that was my week. I bonded with remarkable people, built my faith, and learned priceless leadership qualities. I can't really ask for much else.

James playing the piano

60th Anniversary: A Past Staff Perspective

We were very fortunate to be able to connect with Lea Kone, who has experience as not only a Whitman camper and counselor, but has also worked as a Program Committee member.  Her interview pinpoints what makes the Whitman Experience special for campers and shows how a couple of weeks in the summer can really influence a person's life.

1. How are you affiliated with Camp Whitman?  (Were you a volunteer, camper, staff?)

Yes, all of them! I began attending Camp Whitman in 1988, during the summer before I entered 4th grade, and attended as a camper for the next 8 years!  After attending 4th & 5th grade camps, I started coming to camp for at least 2 weeks each summer in 6th grade.  My favorite camp weeks were Footloose camp (a hiking camp) and Music Camp, which I began attending in 8th grade.  The summer leading into 10th grade I went through CIT training and then began volunteering as a counselor for as many weeks over the next two summers as they would let me!  I joined the counseling staff in 1997 and 1998 and then was a Program Committee member from 1998-2000.  In recent years I have been trying to reconnect with my Whitman roots and have attended a few volunteer days and programs through my church.

2. How many years were you involved with camp for?

12 years!

3. What are some of your fondest camp memories or traditions?

I have so many memories from my years at Whitman.  My time as a camper and staff member were truly foundational in my building my character, spirit and faith.  When I think of camp, my mind drifts to sunny and breezy days sitting on the porch of the main lodge, playing tetherball, hand-cranking ice-cream that never seems to quite harden before we would be compelled to eat it, hands tie-dyed for days along with t-shirts hanging out on the line.  I can almost still hear the sounds of the crickets at night, birds singing during the day, endless verses of Johnny Appleseed and Boom-chick-boom, and the sweetest harmonies from Music camp.  I learned to quiet my mind at camp and feels God's presence in simple beauty of the camp property. I learned to open my heart to new friends, who were different than I was.  I fell in love for the first time at camp, had my first kiss at camp, and had my first heartbreak at camp. I hiked the Adirondack High Peaks with camp, learned to canoe, sail, build time-tested campfires, mastered the art of using an outhouse without having to breathe, how to calm a homesick camper, handle myself in times of crisis, be part of a team and at the same time an individual.  I spent my teen summers experimenting with poetry, sketching and exploring my faith-much different than what I could have been doing back at home.  And of course, I have hundreds of personal memories that make me laugh, cry or shake my head when I think of them now.  They are full of small triumphs, camp pranks, inside jokes, mistakes made and lessons learned.   

4. Did you remain in contact with any of your camp friends throughout the year after camp was over?

Yes, of course.  I have hundreds of letters that I still keep from years of post-camp correspondence with friends from more than 20 years ago.  We couldn't text, email or Facebook each other then, so we wrote a lot of letters between camp and short reunion weekends. I am still friends or have re-connected with many Whitman friends and hardly a month goes by that I don't talk to at least one camp friend.  

Some of Lea's pictures from her time at camp

5. Have you been involved with camp in any capacity in the years after you stopped coming?

I have tried to connect with camp in the years since I have returned to the Rochester area-but I haven't felt that there were many opportunities to do so in a meaningful way.  My years at Whitman inspired me to become a professional camp director, so I have been involved in the industry with other camps for the past 15 years and am eager to bring my passion and experience for camping back to the place that inspired me.

6. What do you think it is about Camp Whitman that has allowed it to remain popular after 60 years?

The property is one of the most naturally beautiful camp properties I have ever been to (and I've been to dozens).  The expansive view of Seneca Lake is the first thing you see as you enter the main area of camp, and that view will always make campers want to come back again!  I also think that there is a simplicity to Whitman-both in its rustic facilities and laid back programming that is so appealing in these days of too much clutter in our children's lives-they can truly unplug and connect with nature and each other.

7. What do you think might be some of the biggest differences between your time as a camper and what campers experience today?

Culturally the world and Whitman in particular have matured in the 25 years since I began attending camp. Where there were once Hogans, there are now cabins. Our cabin areas were once named an uninspiring A, B, C and D-now they are named after beautiful trees.  In the early 90's I used to smuggle in a duffel bag full of tapes, batteries and a giant boom box to play music.  I also used to sneak to the pay phone on the loading dock to call home, campers now try and find a way to sneak in their cell phones or I-pads.  A highly involved camp activity in 1990 was making friendship bracelets and boondoggle for hours-today it's advanced sailing and art programs.  Our bible study programs were simple and sparse in those days as well.  We begged for some centralized camp worship-and today the campers and staff have that opportunity and a beautiful place to worship at Sam's point. But those things are in the details.  Ultimately, I think camp today is still more similar than it is different to the camp I knew in 90's.

CW Staff Participates in NYC Missions Trip

Day Camper, Gregory, trick-or-treating for UNICEF

     Over Columbus Day weekend, some CW staff had the opportunity to experience a Mission and Learning trip in New York City that was sponsored by The Presbytery of Geneva.  Over a three day period, our counselors were able to see how local Presbyterys interact with the UN and their involvement with UNICEF.

CW Staff who painted grass for the mural

Counselors adding clouds and windows to the mural

   


They also took some time to go to Coney Island to work on a mural for a school that was damaged by Hurricane Sandy.  This mural was painted to show how the school has grown and recovered since the disaster.

Breakfast on the Go for a couple of our staff

   

Counselor and camper, Ben and Daniel pointing
out landmarks around the UN

   


   







While there was time for counselors to explore the city on their own, the learning experiences were extremely beneficial and a huge thanks goes to the Presbytery, who made this opportunity possible, and to the organizations and churches that we worked with while were were in NYC, for making us feel welcome and exposing us to brand new experiences.

2013 CW Staff enjoying dinner at Bubba Gump

Staff at the 9/11 memorial site 

Our Fearless Leaders discussing the day's events