Just a few days ago we received the sad news that a member of our Alvernia family had died in a tragic car accident.  Nikki Kantor was a camper here since she was a little girl and worked as a staff member for two summers.  She grew up here at Alvernia, sailing our boats and splashing in our pools, showcasing her dance skills in talent shows and learning leadership skills in our JC/CIT program.  She had a bubbly personality, smiled constantly, and made friends with many campers and staff alike.
 
The news hit our community at the beginning of the day, and we had to find a way to give staff space to grieve and to make sure our campers remained unaffected.  I am so proud of all our staff for the way we have all pulled together to put the campers first even in this difficult time.  I’m proud of those who had the courage to do what was right and take the day off when they knew they needed it, and I’m proud of the staff that stayed to focus on giving campers the same amazing experience they’ve enjoyed all summer, even as inside they were going through difficult emotions.  I’m especially proud of our supervisors, that amazing team of people who provided support in so many ways to our staff.

At Camp Alvernia, we have a mantra we repeat constantly – Camp is for the camper. It’s great that we get to make amazing relationships with our peers and that we get paid to play outside for the summer, but the mission of every one of our staff members is to make the world a better place by helping children grow.  It’s what made this place so special for Nikki and her friends summer after summer, and it’s what drives us day in and day out.  No matter what we have going on in our personal lives, when we step foot on this property, we enter the world of a child, and we leave it all behind for their sakes.
Believe me, it’s worth it.  I can hardly think of anything more inspiring and life-affirming than interacting with our 800 plus campers, your children, as they discover and learn new things, practice their skills in sports and the arts, smile and make friends, and whoop it up cheering for their team.  They’re 800 reminders that when you fall down and scrape your knee, all you need is a friend or a trusted adult to help you while you cry it out.  They’re 800 reasons to become children again ourselves, to run, to be silly, to laugh about nothing in particular.

It can be tough being an adult, and sometimes we become overwhelmed by how complicated and confusing life can seem.  In those times, the best thing we can do is to take a few lessons from our children in trust and simplicity. We may be too small to understand how the world around us works, but we trust there is someone who does. We may not know all the answers, but we know we are loved.  And trusting in that love gives us the strength to experience the pain of life along with the joy, and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that all our questions will one day be answered and everything’s going to be ok.  Give your children an extra hug and kiss for us today.  God bless.