How many miles do you put on the camp van every fall?

 

That’s a question I get asked rather frequently each fall. I’ll tell you how many miles I’ve traveled thus far in a bit, but I think the more relevant question is: why do you put so many miles on that camp van each fall?

 

This year, we are giving you a behind the scenes look at life at camp once summer ends. One of the biggest things we do each fall is to travel. As I write this, I’m sitting in Tampa, Florida wrapping up at ten day tour, and it has been a blast. The main purpose behind our camp travels are camper and staff recruitment/visits. To put it simply: we have the best people and we want to find the best people.

 

I’ll start with the camper side. Each year I get the opportunity to visit with dozens of families in their homes throughout the Southeast (and even all the way to New York City!). As I mentioned before, we have the best families at Timberlake and I cherish the chance to spend some time with them during the school year. Additionally, many families host a “homeshow”, inviting their friends and neighbors over to meet me, eat pizza, watch the camp videos, and learn all about camp. It’s a fantastic way to meet new families and spread the word about Timberlake.

 

Our staff visits are also big highlights. As everyone knows, we have the best camp staff in the country, and we are committed to investing in and developing these young men, just as they are committed to Timberlake and each one of our campers. So we go see them at school. I’ve loved sharing meals, catch ups and even some time kayaking (thanks Shawn) with our staff, and it makes me proud to see them continuing to be the outstanding people they are at camp on campus. Visiting universities is also a crucial part of our recruiting process as we hire the next great Timberlake staff. Be sure to stay tuned to our instagram over the next few months to see who’s coming back and who the new guys are!

 

Timberlake is special place that it is because of the amazing people that make up our camp family. It is exciting each fall to spend time with them and welcome in new family members too. And most of all it makes me excited for summer to be here soon (well, in 221 days anyway). And for those keeping score at home, the mileage is 6,867 miles and counting.

See you this summer!

 

John

 

Director, Camp Timberlake

Proud Seminole

Expert camp van driver