Well, it is already November, and that means it is time for us to hit the road talking to new girls all over the U.S. about Green Cove!

That is right, we are heading out to do our annual camp showings.

During these trips, Nancy and I talk a lot about all the awesome things a summer camp for girls has to offer. Since we do so much of the talking, for this blog, I thought I would let some other people talk about camp… our staff!! I asked a few staff members from this past summer to write up a few words about what camp means to them, and what they gained from working with the girls and other staff here in the mountains of North Carolina. Here is what a few had to say:

“Green Cove is one of my favorite places I’ve ever been – now as both a camper and as a counselor. And like most places, it has to do more with the people than the (beautiful, gorgeous, amazing) setting.

As a camper, I looked up to the staff so much - they encouraged me to achieve goals I never would have thought to set, introduced me to new foods, and managed to make even the nine millionth round of Van Mafia fun. As a counselor, I have even more respect for the staff! It’s a hard job, making camp run so smoothly that it appears to run itself, and everyone does such a fabulous job. The amount of kindness, generosity, and love I see the staff express for each other and for the girls on a daily basis fosters a workplace environment that’s hard to beat. I know that Green Cove’s presence in my life has definitely helped me both personally and professionally - an office environment for a “full-time” job feels worryingly simple, and for the future day I have children,

I’ve already had good practice with a variety of ages. Also, God bless my former counselors for dealing with nine million rounds of Van Mafia!”

Margret R., Mountaineering

“The decision to come back work at Green Cove after my camper years was among some of the best decisions have ever made. I could not imagine a better way to spend a summer.

This summer I had the honor of watching two groups of amazing girls come through my cabin as virtual strangers and leave as best friends, I daresay even sisters. I got to watch these girls grow into young ladies. I had dance parties to High School Musical, complete with a disco ball, and six girls surround me to have their hair braided every night while they told me their craziest stories. Every day was filled with laughter and love.

I also got to watch this happen with the staff. A group of twenty-ish year old girls from all over the world with the most diverse backgrounds come together in NC and create the most positive atmosphere and form the most unlikely of friendships. Summer camp is such an original experience that no one will understand until they experience it for themselves. The people you create these memories with will always hold a special place in your heart. I have made lifelong friendships with people who live across the world. Green Cove will always be a magical place to me.

I plan to spend many more summers here, and hope my future daughters will as well.“

Zoie F., Riding

“Coming to a summer camp for the first time I was so nervous as I’ve never done anything like it before, as in London we don’t really get the opportunity to be camp counselors or even go to camp! But the moment I arrived in North Carolina, being picked up by Caitlin and hearing what the summer had in store for us made me a lot more excited! A couple of weeks down the line we had staff training, all the counselors had arrived now and I just remember thinking “Wow, this is who I’m going to be spending the next three months with”.

A lot of them already knew each other so nerves kicked in again thinking “am I going to fit in?” but that quickly went away as everyone is so nice and now most of the girls are some of my closest friends! The campers then arrived a few days later! The night before I was so excited but also anxious!

I didn’t know what to expect! I was thinking “are they going to like me?”, “What am I going to say to them when I meet them?”, but when they arrived, all the nerves just went away and everything came naturally. The whole camp came to life, it was amazing, like something out of a film! When each camp session comes to an end and the children leave to go back home, it is really sad to see them go. After spending so many weeks with the kids, you become more than just a counsellor to them, a bond is created and to some of them, they look up to you like an older sister or friend!

I just wanna give a massive thank you to Nancy and Caitlin for allowing me the opportunity to have such a life changing summer. Not only do I feel grateful for meeting such amazing people, some of whom have now become lifelong friends, but my time at Green Cove has really changed me as a person, for the better!

Kayta P., Biking

“I had an incredible summer, and I am so glad that I got to spend it at Green Cove again. Every time I come back I find that I learn new things about myself, understand my strengths and weaknesses better, and even more importantly develop skills that I know will take me further in life than I would have been able to without all I’ve learned at Green Cove.

I so much love working with the girls, and making friends with other counselors from all across the country and even the world. I completely treasure my time in Tuxedo and look forward to spending many more summers there.”

Jaclyn L., Crafts

We look forward to putting together another wonderful group of staff for Summer 2017!

Camp Green Cove is a traditional and unique summer camp for girls, ages 6 – 17, founded in 1945 and located in Tuxedo, North Carolina.