This week I was helping get two of the older grandchildren ready for camp.
I was helping our son scan and upload the medical forms, and naturally we got talking about their experiences attending this camp for 10 summers from 10 yrs old to 19!
Twenty-five years ago, Paul and I were Co-Directors of Transitions Camp at Rowe Camp & Conference Center.
For three summers (2000, 2001, and 2002), we spent three weeks each summer leading a community of fifty campers between the ages of 11 and 13, along with a staff of about ten counselors ranging in age from 16 to 24.
Those summers changed me.
Looking at this photo today, I can’t help but smile. Many of those counselors are now in their 40s and 50s!
Some have children of their own and I’m pretty sure they send them to Rowe Camp. Some may even have grandchildren someday.
Time moves so quickly. Yet the lessons of belonging, friendship, and community seem to stay with us long after the campfires have gone out.
At the time, I was only 40 years old (image that), and the counselors called me “Mama Mo.” Looking back, I understand why.
My role wasn’t to tell everyone what to do. It was to create an environment where counselors and campers alike felt safe, valued, and connected.
After selecting the staff through applications and phone interviews, we spent three days together before the campers arrived.
We got to know each other, established guidelines, planned activities, and built trust. Pre-camp was a blast. We laughed, shared stories, had team building games, and began creating the culture we knew campers would love.
Some of those counselors were going to Senior High Camp later in the summer and they were teaching me about Rowe camp culture.
So when the campers arrived, everyone had a role to play. Everyone contributed. Everyone had chores which didn’t feel like chores because you were never alone doing them. Singing may have been involved.
One of my roles was talking to parents during the week because they missed their kid. The kids were having a blast.
During the first week, we gathered in smaller gender specific groups where deeper connections could form.
During the second week, the whole community came together for dances, campfires, talent shows, carnivals, games, and celebrations.
One of my favorite traditions was Secret Buddy Bags. You decorated your own buddy bag, got your poloriod picture pasted on it, and tacked it to the Buddy Bag Wall.
Every camper and counselor was assigned a secret buddy. Each day, they would leave notes, crafts, small treasures, or words of encouragement in their buddy’s bag.
At various times, campers would sneak over and check their own bag, hoping to discover what had been left for them.
The joy was contagious.
What I remember most wasn’t the activities. It wasn’t the schedule. It wasn’t even the programming.
What I remember is the love.
The kids and counselors were constantly together. They all supported one another. They encouraged one another. They laughed together. They cried together.
Friendships formed quickly because everyone belonged to something larger than themselves, the community.
Those summers taught me one of the most important leadership lessons of my life:
People thrive when they feel connected.
Whether it’s a family, a workplace, a recovery group, a neighborhood, a camp, or a team, we all long for the same thing. We want to know that we matter. We want to know that someone sees us. We want to know that we belong.
Community is not always easy. Living closely with other human beings can be messy. We disappoint each other. We sometimes misunderstand each other. We have different opinions, personalities, and needs.
And yet, despite the challenges, community remains one of life’s greatest gifts.
This week, as Adalie (10), is so excited to attend Rowe, I find myself smiling and feeling great happiness for her. Then Molly Mae (12), will go to the next camp for 2 weeks after her sister gets back.
A new generation will walk those same paths, sing those same songs, sit around those same campfires, and hopefully discover the same thing I learned all those years ago.
Healthy communities help us feel seen, valued, and loved. They don’t happen by accident. Leaders help create the culture that makes belonging possible.
Maybe that’s why those summers still live so vividly in my memory. I spent my vacations away from corporate running an overnight camp with Paul, my kid was a camper, and with so much peace, love and understanding. I’m still a hippie at heart.
“Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.”
~ Brené Brown
Remember, as a leader, you have so much influence on the communities you inhabit.
Love,
Maureen
P.S. I help leaders understand stress, communication, and personality patterns through leadership development and Everything DiSC programs. Need a keynote speaker? Let’s talk.
