Every camp through Group Workcamps is setup with the same format in terms of program, every year.
Sunday is just the basic intro.
Monday is a follow up and goin deeper into the theme.
Tuesday is a night where there are stations setup throughout the gym and the participants are supposed to do something or reflect on something at each station
Wednesday is Variety Show night (fun night).
Thursday...well Thursday is known infamously as "cry night". It's the turning point in the theme where we see the impact on our faith and the work that we've been doing all week.
Even at our Micah camp we have this same format with added Catholic elements. For instance, on Tuesday we have a reconciliation station. On Thursday we do Adoration.
Last night, Thursday, was the regular Thursday program with an added section of adoration. It went amazingly. The kids sat in that gym praying, and comforting each other for hours.
The theme this year takes after the story of the prodigal son...Undeserved is the technical theme.
The story is a relatable one, one of my personal favorites from the gospels. It is also an easy thing to understand...we are Undeserved of God's love, and the story of the prodigal son really exemplifies this. Thursday night program is such a powerful one with this theme, because we all do things like the prodigal son..we all make mistakes. The story of the prodigal son and his father is so clearly relatable to things we all do...we can all accept God's love for us.
God bless,
Catherine
Friday, July 16, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Those Long Hot Days
Despite the typical bumps in the road, this camp is going really well. From what I've seen the campers are really enjoying themselves. This is something that is hard to remember during camp week. It doesn't matter how stressed you are, it doesn't matter if everything (in your mind) is going wrong. The only thing that is important is that the campers, the people that have planned for this all year, that raised all this money, all to have an amazing camp experience serving people of this community and Jesus.
It's hard to remember this because we get tunnel vision on our specific positions or we focus on the negative. We forget to remember that there are friendships being formed here, or that there are lives being changed. This is why we do this camp. We don't do it to run an office or handle a database. We do it to show these teenagers that there is more to the world than themselves...and sometimes it's good that we on staff remember that.
It's been a long two days. Hospital visits, and humidity did me in. I woke up this morning for our daily liturgy and the exhaustion from the entire summer hit me and I became so tired. I could barely keep my eyes open and wound up bringing myself to take a nap.
However, these participants are not exhausted. This is their week and they are really working hard and enjoying it despite setbacks back at the facility or on the site.
God bless,
Catherine
It's hard to remember this because we get tunnel vision on our specific positions or we focus on the negative. We forget to remember that there are friendships being formed here, or that there are lives being changed. This is why we do this camp. We don't do it to run an office or handle a database. We do it to show these teenagers that there is more to the world than themselves...and sometimes it's good that we on staff remember that.
It's been a long two days. Hospital visits, and humidity did me in. I woke up this morning for our daily liturgy and the exhaustion from the entire summer hit me and I became so tired. I could barely keep my eyes open and wound up bringing myself to take a nap.
However, these participants are not exhausted. This is their week and they are really working hard and enjoying it despite setbacks back at the facility or on the site.
God bless,
Catherine
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Ugh...
Well it was our last registration day today. It's bittersweet...registration day is my favorite day of the week. It's also one of the most hectic.
This was probably one of the worst registration days I've ever had. Usually, Sunday is Melissa's (the Crew Managers) worst day, because that's when she assigns all the crews. Unfortunately the school here in Winston-Salem has never had a camp before so they weren't too clear about how much room would be needed.
Long story short: we didnt have enough room. It also hasn't helped that one of the youth groups needed 4 rooms to themselves. It's been a tight squeeze. Factor that in with the standard complaints of showers and heat...also the issue of a few leaks, and some people having to sleep in trailers...it's been a long day.
The staff here with us this week is awesome though. I've also already had some good conversations with some adult leaders so I really think it's all going to work out.
Say a prayer for me for tonight though...I think I might need it.
God bless,
Catherine
This was probably one of the worst registration days I've ever had. Usually, Sunday is Melissa's (the Crew Managers) worst day, because that's when she assigns all the crews. Unfortunately the school here in Winston-Salem has never had a camp before so they weren't too clear about how much room would be needed.
Long story short: we didnt have enough room. It also hasn't helped that one of the youth groups needed 4 rooms to themselves. It's been a tight squeeze. Factor that in with the standard complaints of showers and heat...also the issue of a few leaks, and some people having to sleep in trailers...it's been a long day.
The staff here with us this week is awesome though. I've also already had some good conversations with some adult leaders so I really think it's all going to work out.
Say a prayer for me for tonight though...I think I might need it.
God bless,
Catherine
Friday, July 9, 2010
Setting Up Camp in North Carolna
So we're here in North Carolina...Winston-Salem to be exact. The only words to describe it currently are: hot and beautiful. They have these awesome trees here that are so bright red and pink...it's kind of like a magenta. We got here Wednesday night, went to the mall for dinner (the largest in North Carolina), and then we started setting up yesterday.
We hit a few bumps in the setup process...
For instance:
There is simply not enough room for the campers to sleep...
That's the main problem.
There's also an issue of a group needing separate rooms, which, given the current problem, isn't really working out so hot.
But, it is our last camp, and I'm determined for it to go as smoothly as it can...so therefore it will.
I'll put an update on about our journey through West Virginia a little later.
God bless,
Catherine
We hit a few bumps in the setup process...
For instance:
There is simply not enough room for the campers to sleep...
That's the main problem.
There's also an issue of a group needing separate rooms, which, given the current problem, isn't really working out so hot.
But, it is our last camp, and I'm determined for it to go as smoothly as it can...so therefore it will.
I'll put an update on about our journey through West Virginia a little later.
God bless,
Catherine
Monday, July 5, 2010
"Dave (Thomas) would be rolling in his grave"
So we left Ohio (finally. no offense ohio, but you really got old after awhile). We hit the long, 2 hour, road to Indianapolis, Indiana. Other then the blistering humidity (which I'm used to. seriously, one day the news said it was 94 but felt like 104...terrible) I really enjoyed the city of Indy. It was small, but the areas I saw of the actual city were pretty cute.
This camp is our first Micah Experience of the summer. This basically means the program of the camp is directed for Catholics, and we have daily liturgy. This is a cool part of the Micah Experience, however, this is the 2nd to last Micah ever. The last Micah will be in Winston Salem, North Carolina (our last camp).Two of the big youth groups were the same groups Melissa and I had at our Baltimore camp last summer. Our director, Jim, and a few of the Site Coaches, were the same ones we had as well.
My first impression of our Indy camp was when I was blessed to meet the members of the school.
The Principal (Ms. Carter) and Head Custodian (Sam the man) of Emma Donnan Middle School were some of the most amazing people I have ever had the opportunity to meet.
Ms. Carter told me the first day I met her how hard she had worked to improve the test scores of the school, and while there weren't large improvements, there still was some, and she was proud of that. I thought that was amazing.
Then there was Sam. The sweetest older man (with a little waddle to his walk) I have ever known. He was born and raised in Mississippi, hence his accent, and he was so proud of the work he did in that school. I didn't need to worry about anything about the facility because I knew Sam would help me with whatever I needed. He was so happy to have another Workcamp at the school, because he loved the work we did, that he made sure to keep us happy, even though I just wanted to help him. He came in everyday at 5am and wouldn't leave until we were done at night, which was late. He only had one or two other people, but he couldn't have been happier to help us...crazy, and inspiring.
The area we were staying in had a kind of poverty I haven't really witnessed before. I am used to strictly urban poverty, and strictly rural poverty. Here, though, it was a blend of the two. There weren't really racial guidelines or areas. It was between poor and not poor, race wasn't really a question at all for anyone.
The projects we were working ranged:
-We had a huge fence project, that took 3 crews to finish.
-We also had smaller painting projects and more smaller fences and porches.
Unfortunately our Cosponsor wasn't super involved at this camp. Therefore, we ran into several problems during Setup week with having to cancel sites for drug issues. However, the camp ran smoothly as if there were no problems.
Fun tidbits:
During Setup week we went to a Wendy's to eat, and there was a ridiculously long wait. The reason for our wait was because and older gentlemen was throwing a hissy fit at the employees of the Wendy's saying things like "Dave would be rolling in his grave right now if he knew how this was being run"---referring to Dave Thomas, the late creator of the chain.
Also fun tidbit was me and Melissa's favorite director from last summer was a camper at the Indy camp! God sighting? I think so...
Another fun fact is that I bought a new camera! A canon powershot SX 120
I really love it so far...10 x zoom...10 megapixels.
2 of my favorite shots so far:
Camps over now...next stop is in Winston Salem, NC. For now we're back in Ohio, visiting some other crews and catching up with other crews.
God bless,
Catherine
This camp is our first Micah Experience of the summer. This basically means the program of the camp is directed for Catholics, and we have daily liturgy. This is a cool part of the Micah Experience, however, this is the 2nd to last Micah ever. The last Micah will be in Winston Salem, North Carolina (our last camp).Two of the big youth groups were the same groups Melissa and I had at our Baltimore camp last summer. Our director, Jim, and a few of the Site Coaches, were the same ones we had as well.
My first impression of our Indy camp was when I was blessed to meet the members of the school.
The Principal (Ms. Carter) and Head Custodian (Sam the man) of Emma Donnan Middle School were some of the most amazing people I have ever had the opportunity to meet.Ms. Carter told me the first day I met her how hard she had worked to improve the test scores of the school, and while there weren't large improvements, there still was some, and she was proud of that. I thought that was amazing.
Then there was Sam. The sweetest older man (with a little waddle to his walk) I have ever known. He was born and raised in Mississippi, hence his accent, and he was so proud of the work he did in that school. I didn't need to worry about anything about the facility because I knew Sam would help me with whatever I needed. He was so happy to have another Workcamp at the school, because he loved the work we did, that he made sure to keep us happy, even though I just wanted to help him. He came in everyday at 5am and wouldn't leave until we were done at night, which was late. He only had one or two other people, but he couldn't have been happier to help us...crazy, and inspiring.
The area we were staying in had a kind of poverty I haven't really witnessed before. I am used to strictly urban poverty, and strictly rural poverty. Here, though, it was a blend of the two. There weren't really racial guidelines or areas. It was between poor and not poor, race wasn't really a question at all for anyone.
The projects we were working ranged:
-We had a huge fence project, that took 3 crews to finish.
-We also had smaller painting projects and more smaller fences and porches.Unfortunately our Cosponsor wasn't super involved at this camp. Therefore, we ran into several problems during Setup week with having to cancel sites for drug issues. However, the camp ran smoothly as if there were no problems.
Fun tidbits:
During Setup week we went to a Wendy's to eat, and there was a ridiculously long wait. The reason for our wait was because and older gentlemen was throwing a hissy fit at the employees of the Wendy's saying things like "Dave would be rolling in his grave right now if he knew how this was being run"---referring to Dave Thomas, the late creator of the chain.
Also fun tidbit was me and Melissa's favorite director from last summer was a camper at the Indy camp! God sighting? I think so...
Another fun fact is that I bought a new camera! A canon powershot SX 120
I really love it so far...10 x zoom...10 megapixels.2 of my favorite shots so far:
Camps over now...next stop is in Winston Salem, NC. For now we're back in Ohio, visiting some other crews and catching up with other crews.
God bless,
Catherine
Travel to Ohio
So this is all going to be a little scattered, since I wasn't so great about updating this haha. But really...what an amazing summer it has been!
After our gorgeous training in Colorado we left with another crew who would be helping us set up in Coshocton, Ohio. We made a few stops on the way to Coshocton.
-We stopped in Omaha, Nebraska where Morgan from the other crew lives. There her family treated us really nicely with a huge home cooked meal.
-We then made it to Chicago where we spent a rainy day in the city and enjoyed some Chicago style pizza.
-After that we stopped in Ohio for a few hours near where Patrick on my crew lives. We got lunch (chicken salad, yum) from his mom and then we had a crazy back road drive to Coshocton Ohio.
The whole drive was like this, and the roads were so windy. However, it was absolutely gorgeous.
Our camp in Coshocton was fun. Our director was this guy:
He's known as the 5th Summer Staffer since he's done this so many times on staff. He has so many crazy stories and experience. He was really helpful, and even though we had 2 serious situations he made them seem like they were nothing. He also helped us realize that those crazy moments are what really make the camp interesting and memorable.
Other than Tony, the rest of the staff this week was awesome. We had 2 amazing volunteers that are married and just come to these camps because they like to volunteer...Doo and Jean. Man were they awesome/helpful/parents for me for this week. We actually will be stopping by their place on the way back to Colorado, and I couldn't be happier about it.
We had some visitors from other crews as well, which was a lot of fun, and then by the end of the week it was just the 4 of us, getting stuff done.
The town of Coshocton is extremely small, and one of those places where everyone really does know everyone. The custodians I worked with knew exactly where all the houses we were working on were, and they all knew about the one and only radio station of Coshocton (The spirit of Coshocton).
Side note on the radio station: They would have a 20 minute thing every few hours called the Trading Post where basically whoever wanted to buy or sell something would call in, and basically advertise what it was they needed or were selling for a minute. It was hilarious, to say the least. A whole lot of cheap broken down piece of junk cars.
The hotel we stayed in the first and last weekend of that week was called the Country Squire Inn. Calling it sketch is a little bit of an understatement. Even the locals thought it was funny that we were staying there.
On Sunday of that week we moved on to Cincinnati
where we stayed in a church with a Week of Hope crew. WOHs are smaller formats of Workcamp. We stayed there, and explored the city for two days. It might have just been because I was cranky, but Cincinnati really didn't do much for me. It's a cute small city...but that's about it. I guess it was also because I was a little anxious to get on to the next camp.
We had some pretty views though, so I guess I can't really explain.
God bless,
Catherine
After our gorgeous training in Colorado we left with another crew who would be helping us set up in Coshocton, Ohio. We made a few stops on the way to Coshocton.
-We stopped in Omaha, Nebraska where Morgan from the other crew lives. There her family treated us really nicely with a huge home cooked meal.
-We then made it to Chicago where we spent a rainy day in the city and enjoyed some Chicago style pizza.
-After that we stopped in Ohio for a few hours near where Patrick on my crew lives. We got lunch (chicken salad, yum) from his mom and then we had a crazy back road drive to Coshocton Ohio.
The whole drive was like this, and the roads were so windy. However, it was absolutely gorgeous.
Our camp in Coshocton was fun. Our director was this guy:
He's known as the 5th Summer Staffer since he's done this so many times on staff. He has so many crazy stories and experience. He was really helpful, and even though we had 2 serious situations he made them seem like they were nothing. He also helped us realize that those crazy moments are what really make the camp interesting and memorable.Other than Tony, the rest of the staff this week was awesome. We had 2 amazing volunteers that are married and just come to these camps because they like to volunteer...Doo and Jean. Man were they awesome/helpful/parents for me for this week. We actually will be stopping by their place on the way back to Colorado, and I couldn't be happier about it.
We had some visitors from other crews as well, which was a lot of fun, and then by the end of the week it was just the 4 of us, getting stuff done.
The town of Coshocton is extremely small, and one of those places where everyone really does know everyone. The custodians I worked with knew exactly where all the houses we were working on were, and they all knew about the one and only radio station of Coshocton (The spirit of Coshocton).
Side note on the radio station: They would have a 20 minute thing every few hours called the Trading Post where basically whoever wanted to buy or sell something would call in, and basically advertise what it was they needed or were selling for a minute. It was hilarious, to say the least. A whole lot of cheap broken down piece of junk cars.
The hotel we stayed in the first and last weekend of that week was called the Country Squire Inn. Calling it sketch is a little bit of an understatement. Even the locals thought it was funny that we were staying there.
On Sunday of that week we moved on to Cincinnati
where we stayed in a church with a Week of Hope crew. WOHs are smaller formats of Workcamp. We stayed there, and explored the city for two days. It might have just been because I was cranky, but Cincinnati really didn't do much for me. It's a cute small city...but that's about it. I guess it was also because I was a little anxious to get on to the next camp.We had some pretty views though, so I guess I can't really explain.
God bless,
Catherine
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Training Round 2
Well another summer working as an Office Manager for Group Workcamps Foundation is here. Training week is here and in full swing, and I am loving every second of it. The views here in the mountains never seem to get old. It's like they are just painted on and I am looking at really large, intricate mural.
Training has been a little bit hard considering we've had to wake up at 5:30-5:45 the past few days. This has been rough...but I have to say that the views are the best at the time. There is absolutely no fog, and you can see the sun hitting the mountains. Saying it's pretty is a little bit of an understatement.
Position training has been a breeze this year, being a returner has been helpful. It's also been great to meet all of the amazing and inspiring new people we have here on staff, and being able to help these people learn and grow in their position.
As for my crew, I'm beyond excited. I get to work with Melissa again, and then we have two other guys who are also returners: Justin and Patrick.
We all know each other and are getting along really well so it's been a great few days with each other so far. I really think it's going to make this summer be amazing. I just can't believe how fast it's all going. This time last year felt like it lasted a whole month. The beginning of the week felt like it was going to go so long, but now everything is just flying by.
We get the next three days off so I'm looking forward to sleeping in and relaxing. Maybe doing a little bit of sightseeing in the area...who knows. I'm just ready to be on the road and get to camps. I can see where the returners were coming from last year and how much they wanted to just leave already.
Seee ya later!!!
Training has been a little bit hard considering we've had to wake up at 5:30-5:45 the past few days. This has been rough...but I have to say that the views are the best at the time. There is absolutely no fog, and you can see the sun hitting the mountains. Saying it's pretty is a little bit of an understatement.
Position training has been a breeze this year, being a returner has been helpful. It's also been great to meet all of the amazing and inspiring new people we have here on staff, and being able to help these people learn and grow in their position.
As for my crew, I'm beyond excited. I get to work with Melissa again, and then we have two other guys who are also returners: Justin and Patrick.
We all know each other and are getting along really well so it's been a great few days with each other so far. I really think it's going to make this summer be amazing. I just can't believe how fast it's all going. This time last year felt like it lasted a whole month. The beginning of the week felt like it was going to go so long, but now everything is just flying by.
We get the next three days off so I'm looking forward to sleeping in and relaxing. Maybe doing a little bit of sightseeing in the area...who knows. I'm just ready to be on the road and get to camps. I can see where the returners were coming from last year and how much they wanted to just leave already.
Seee ya later!!!
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