Fall is here! After 8 weeks of reflection and cool down, here are some insights about our recent summer operations at Kahdalea and Chosatonga! I write with quite a bit of excitement because, frankly, the summer was one of the best and most impactful summers I’ve ever witnessed. Inspiration for this post is drawn from a variety of sources: insights from staff evaluations, feedback from parents and campers, conversations with our year round staff, and personal observations. Every summer at CKC brings different qualities, characters, charisms, struggles, laughs, and joys, and this one was particularly special from my point of view!
Camps Kahdalea and Chosatonga strive to give young hearts a summer of fun (!), friendship, adventure, and the opportunity to encounter faith. Here are a few of the reasons why our mission was carried forth in excellent fashion this year:
- The openness of our campers: these campers, of every session but especially for our longer and more committed sessions, were SO ready to dive in to camp this year! It is normal for there to be a “warm up” window as campers adjust to camp after they first arrive. But – man! – this summer felt a bit different! The campers were ready to jump right in, have fun, and chase their goals. This energy from the offset creates momentum that can carry all the way through a session! Campers, the most enriching part of being on staff at CKC is accompanying y’all on your journey through camp, growing closer to y’all, and watching y’all gain confidence and flourish in friendship, faith, and fun. You will be hard pressed to find folks who love you as much as the staff at CKC! We can’t wait to see you again, at camp or on the road!
2. The character and adaptability of our new staff members: while the returning staff are always celebrated, our brand new staff members were especially praiseworthy this summer for the way they joined the fold so easily! They were adaptable, honest with ways we can improve and move our programs further towards excellence, and very open to the wildness of camp. A consistent remark I received throughout the summer was, “WOW! These new staff members are really awesome!” I could not have agreed more 🙂 They really “get it”. What a gift to get to know so many new friends – we are praying that many of them return!
3. The high quality of our many, many returning staff: Where would camp be without our wonderful Staff??? I am ALWAYS impressed by the overwhelming amount of sheer goodness that shines through the young hearts employed at CKC, but this team was truly humbling to behold. Twice this summer I was moved to share with them, “How will we ever be able to match the quality and character of this staff in the future?” Only by God’s grace! Because this is an exceptional group of young men and women. Our staff genuinely love our campers, and I am so grateful our campers had this group to look up to. I looked up to them too!
4. The continuity of our leadership: We have been blessed with a strong record of leadership in our program directing departments over the years, but this year was a combination of excellent individuals with the added understanding of being deeply seasoned in our camp culture and community. The Program Directing Staff alone shared the combined experience of over 51 summers at CKC. We cherish the opportunity to work with folks who know and love everything about camp in a way that is proven by how much time they have collectively invested here. HUGE thanks and cheers to Dom Pautler, Mark Chasuk, Will Ellender, Adam Suda, Hanna Draddy Pautler, Lizzie Jurek, and Heather Maloy for the myriad of ways they choose to pour their love into camp!!!
5. The Leadership from our Activity Heads and Trip Leaders: The confidence, professional formation, and skillsets of our leadership have been growing over the last decade with continued intentional investment and training encouraged by the directing staff. These values were on impressive display this summer. For our activity heads of our adventure staffs, the schedules they prepared provided dozens of trips every week offered to campers of every age group and skill set. We are proud of the adventurous spirit of our staff, but also of their attention to detail, their precision, their diligence, and their caution and judgement, in camp and out of camp on our many trips. Particular shout out to our Designated Trip Leaders. These DTLs brought hundreds of our campers in contact with the beautiful gift of the WILD this summer – we couldn’t be more grateful for their leadership and hard work. We are excited to continue to invest in our adventure staffs!
6. Program Developments and Improvements: Dom and Hanna Pautler put in a tremendous effort in the off-season to improve and expand our program offerings. Their dedication, creativity, and love for camp really shone through when our camper arrived in June! All of their willing preparation set the scene for a peaceful and fun programming at both camps across all sessions. Their leadership of the staff must be noted along with their excellent communication. With the combined support of John Trufant’s facilities team and Adam Suda’s operational efforts, we also enjoyed our new climbing walls, new water trampolines and stand up paddle boards, new ropes and climbing gear, an entire new fleet of mountain bikes, a new trailer full of whitewater canoes, newly renovated kitchens at both camps, bathroom improvements to every cabin restroom at both camps, more dedicated and clearly defined Tribal Leader roles at Kahdalea, along with too many other positive adjustments to count.
7. Our Tribal Leaders: the intentionality, vision, and action of our TLs at Kahdalea was exceptional. One of the most consistent points of positive feedback we received from both campers and staff all summer was the EXCELLENCE of leadership they were receiving from their Tribal Leaders. Due to some simplifications and streamlining behind the scenes, our tribal leaders had more elbow room to be completely dedicated to the health and wellbeing of their individual tribes this summer. Their work with our campers led to a significant lessening of instances of director intervention this summer, and this is praiseworthy! Anna, Caroline, Erin, and Natalie worked tirelessly toward the goal of making sure every camper at camp knows that they are seen, known, and loved. Solid work, ladies! It was a gift to see you in action!
8. YOU! The prayers, support, conversation, and answered surveys of our camp families have poured into a considerable season of growth and wellness for our CKC family. Thank YOU for everything, but especially for your prayers. Please continue to pray for blessing on all the ways that God wants to use CKC for his purposes, especially that our campers may be blessed for a lifetime through camp.
It is a joy to be a part of such a dedicated team here at CKC! We are eager to carry all of this wonderful momentum into 2025. We can not wait to host our campers and staff in the next – and best! – summer 🙂 God bless you.
