From Campers to Counselors, There Truly is No Place Like This Place

Every summer, campers arrive at the YMCA ready for new adventures – whether it’s climbing the ropes course, trying archery for the first time, jumping into the pool, or making new friends. For many of our camp counselors, those same adventures began years ago when they were campers themselves.

Schroder, Tereska, and Alex are just three of the many counselors who have come full circle, returning to the same camp where they once spent their summers. Now, they’re helping create those same experiences for a new generation of campers.

This is Schroder’s first summer as a camp counselor, but camp has been part of his story for years. As a camper, some of his favorite memories came from spending time at the pool, taking on the ropes course, and trying archery. What stood out just as much were the counselors who made camp fun every day.

Now he’s on the other side of those experiences, encouraging campers as they try something new and watching them grow more confident as the summer goes on. One of his favorite parts of the job is seeing campers discover activities they love and leave camp with new friendships and memories.

Tereska is spending her sixth summer on staff, and it’s the connections she made as a camper that inspired her to come back. Today, she enjoys watching campers experience those same moments she remembers – from conquering the ropes course after being nervous to celebrating a first bullseye in archery. She hopes every camper leaves with at least one memory that makes them smile long after the summer is over.

For Alex, camp has always been about the people. As a camper, he remembers making great friends and looking forward to afternoons at the pool. Now in his third summer as a counselor, he enjoys watching new friendships form while campers try new activities, cheer each other on, and make the most of every day at camp.

Although each counselor remembers different parts of their own camp experience, they all share a common goal: helping today’s campers have a summer they’ll look back on with a smile.

Schroder, Tereska, and Alex are just a few examples of the many staff members whose YMCA journey started as campers. The experiences children have at camp today often stay with them long after the summer ends, with many returning years later to give back as counselors themselves.

Years from now, some of this summer’s campers may find themselves back at the YMCA – wearing counselor shirts instead of camper T-shirts, helping the next generation discover everything camp has to offer.

It’s a tradition that continues summer after summer, and one of the many reasons there’s truly No Place Like This Place.