As I sit down to write my first blog, I feel like Julie in the movie “Julie and Julia” as a novice to this technological obsession. I’m officially heading into the blogging world of the 21st century as a summer camp owner and mother. This new blog is directed at parents who are looking for insight into the camping world from a director’s perspective, and I hope you find this helpful.
A little background about myself…I’m a 41 year old mother of 2 boys ages 12 and soon-to-be 9 who married a man 14 years ago that loved summer camp! My husband attended an 8 week summer sports camp at the ripe old age of 7 and knew at a very young age that he someday wanted to own his own camp. Camp opened his eyes to a whole new world and made a positive lasting impact on his entire life and career.
Over 9 years ago, my husband decided that the time was right to start his own summer camp, specializing in sports, since he has been passionate about sports as long as he can remember. As he dropped the camp bomb idea on me, I was big and pregnant with our second child and immediately thought that the peaceful and relaxing summers I enjoyed so much would come to a complete halt forever! I wished him luck and decided that I would let him work his business magic without my help. After all, I was a full-time mother of a 3 year old and about to have another baby. How could I take care of other people’s children when I am 110% devoted to my own?
Well, let’s just say that everything changed that summer when my husband needed help coming up with a name for camp, a logo design, writing some copy for marketing materials, etc. Armed with a journalism and public relations degree in hand, and my University of Texas diploma staring down at me in our home office, I was immediately put to work helping to develop my husband’s dream. Maybe he brainwashed me while I was asleep to get me on board. Who knows!
The summer of 2001, with our new baby learning the ways of the world and our 3 year old trying to enjoy his summer in Maine at the lake, the creation of Camp All-Star became a labor of love for BOTH my husband and me. I will say now, years later, that those busy summer days when I thought I would be basking in the sun, turned into an outlet for my creative juices and sheer excitement into what we were beginning. As my 3 year old played with his blocks and Legos building an imaginary village, we in essence, were building our own “camp village” based on what we thought would work best for children who loved sports, just as my husband has for years.
I was the one (yes, I will take the credit for this!) who came up with the name, Camp All-Star. It seemed to encompass sports, and our idea that by coming here “everyone would be a star”. Does it seem a bit cheesy by saying it? Well, I guess in some ways. However, all campers should be treated as equals! That’s what we felt from day one, so this name seemed to be a perfect fit. Of course our logo had to include a star, and after many sketches on scratch paper, we sent our ideas off to an ad agency to clean things up and make it all look professional. The foundation of OUR business was starting to take shape.
Now let me just say that those first few years of camp are a blur to me. Maybe because I’m in my 40’s and my good ole memory isn’t the same as it was a decade ago. Or, it’s because my daily life during camp is, as I tell my friends, “a day at camp is like a week in any normal life.” So much goes on. Always things to remember. Looking at the campers faces and making sure they have fun. Keeping up with our amazing staff. Constant communication with parents. Oh, and yes, still being a wife and the all important, MOM!
I hope you (if you’re out there reading this) continue to read my Camp All-Star blog. This is a true labor of love to open up my story, our AWESOME camp, and the “behind the scenes” stories (I promise there are lots of good ones!) to the internet world! Here’s to a great week.
Cammi
Camp All-Star