The ninth summer at the Eastern 4-H Center is coming to an end...to dilute my sadness, I have compiled a list of highlights...this should make me feel better.
Highlight number 1: Online Registration! This has allowed parents and agents to sign their children up without having to stroke a check, wait for the postal service, or any other dinosauric pass-times that have kept camps in the histrionic ways of the 1980's. The Eastern 4-H Center now has a modern registration system to go along with its spectacular programs, food, and facilities. The ease of this system leads me to highlight number 2...
Highlight number 2: Increased numbers! Apparently a "recession" is occurring...but the Eastern 4-H Center has experienced increases in camp enrollment. Most camp weeks were full, or at least over 100 campers. Other camps have lately mentioned us a competition...these big camps had better watch their backs! Their is a new tradition in summer camps....OURS!
Highlight number 3: Great Staff! Every summer staff is susceptible to it's own little dialogue of drama, staff romances and bromances, and gossip...this year's staff has minimalized that stuff...I know this year's staff is good, mainly because I can't pick the best staff member out of all of them...it's like they were all formulated on my special staff training assembly line...but not even I can take credit for all of it...they arrived with great personalities and love for children...but I did have the sense to hire them!
Highlight number 4: Specialty camp success! Camp Canvasback enrollment raised...so did the number of young outdoorsmen who were certified in Hunter Education through the program. Takeoff 4-Health, our healthy lifestyle camp has seen dramatic improvement on an already great program...outcomes are expected to be great, too. Operation Purple, a camp for children whose parents are fighting for our country in Afghanistan and Iraq was filled for both sessions, too.
Highlight number 5: ACA accreditation! This year, we had the rigorous duty of maintaining our accreditation from the American Camp Association. The ACA comes in, looks at, and evaluates, everything a camp does - everything from temperatures on personal refrigerators to Challenge Course, to Personnel Policies...and what do you know - we got a "PASS" on every applicable standard! Most camps take several "no's", some take only one "no", but it is the elite camps that receive all passing marks!
These are pretty steep accomplishments...summer is great, summer camp is the greatest thing on the planet that a child can ever do... make sure that every child you know goes to camp...they don't even have to come to this camp (even though the above highlights prove that we are probably the best), just go somewhere that is fun and safe...
Enjoy the day...
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