Well, I've been home for 9 days now, and I'm finally getting around to writing about the amazing place called Camp Bon Coeur. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Camp Bon Coeur, CBC is a camp for children (ages 7-16) with heart defects. Held at the Acadian Baptist Center in Eunice, campers and staff come from across the country to take part in archery, canoeing, sports, heart class, horseback riding, art, swimming, teambuilding, and much, much more. This was my third summer working at CBC, and my second as the Teambuilding instructor.
As Teambuilding instructor, I lead the campers in fun games and activities each day. Session A (ages 7-11) TB class consisted of Life Skills and Conflict Resolution lessons that included activities designed for campers to practice communication skills, develop a positive self-image, and increase cooperation/teamwork. I was so proud of my little camers for making an 100 A++ on the final exam (last class/day of review)! They knew every new vocabulary word and learning model, and could even give examples of how everything we discussed relates to real life. I was so impressed! Session B (ages 12-16) had a great time too; we played fun games such as The Human Knot, Wink, 4 Corners, and much more. I will always remember Unit 2 for their 5-second-Knot that blew away the competition for the Apache Relay. Good job, guys! (Gosh, I love those kids...)
As for other aspects of camp, we had some rough patches, but that comes with the territory. No major medical issues (though a few minor scares), even though there's just something about camp that attracts food borne illness. heh. Our staff, however, was just plain dynamite. It has been said that this was probably one of the best group of staff members that CBC has ever seen. We had a great balance of old, new, and returning staff, as well as former campers versus wanna be heart kids (lol), old and young, and out-of-staters and locals. We all banded together quite nicely to make a fierce group...even if we did lose to both the campers and *hides behind hands* the ABC Staff in whiffle ball.
On the personal side of things, some friendships were strained this summer, but in the end, it all turned out okay. Some old friendships were re-kindled and new ones began. Next year will be the 25th anniversary of camp; we've got a new logo, website, and other marketing plans in the works. It will definitely be interesting to see how the camp family evolves into this new era of greatness.
(If you, or anyone you know, knows a child with a heart condition or is interested in working at camp, please let me know. Feel free to check out the camp's website at www.heartcamp.com)
--
Like I said, I've been home for a week, and I'll be here for two more before spending a weekish in Ohio and then heading up to Idaho for three months. I definitely needed some "Lauren time" at the end of this summer, and so I'm very much cherishing my time at home. At this point, I have no desire to go anywhere, do anything, or see anyone. I just want to stay home, and lay around reading, watching tv, or playing online. I'm just so thankful for this time...watching the olympics and spending time with my family has been great.
Tomorrow, I head to Luling to spend the night with Annie and her family, and then I'll be in Thibodaux on Wednesday for my mandatory internship meeting and NSU Graduate Day.
I'll be in touch.
-Lauren
No comments:
Post a Comment