Special Events

The most popular question we are asked as Camp Professionals is:  "What do you do the rest of the year?"  This is followed in popularity by: "You must be starting to gear up now" which we usually hear in April or May.  The truth is, every day of the year is packed solid with planning to make every Meadowbrook Summer the Best Summer Ever!

Today we spent four hours working with Melissa, one of our 2 amazing Special Events Directors.  We worked on all of our bus activities and our weekly themes for the even weeks (weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8).  We will work on the odd weeks when we meet with Jill later in the week.

So, what are this year's themes???  Well, we are not prepared to share them all yet...but, we will start by sharing Week #1.  This is an idea that was created years ago, but we needed this year's calender to make it a reality.  In honor of the Meadowbrook TIGER Program and the 4th of July, we will start this Summer with AMERICAN STARS AND TIGER STRIPES!

It will be a great start to the Summer as we celebrate America's Stars and Stripes and everyone learns about the 5 elements of TIGER: Teamwork, Integrity, Generosity, Enthusiasm and Respect!

Make sure to follow us on facebook and subscribe to this blog so you are the first to learn about the rest of this Summer's great weekly themes!

Only 168 days 'til Camp!

Working at Camp

Next Sunday, I will have the privilege of presenting at the NY/NJ American Camp Association's (ACA)  Teen LEADership Conference in New York City.   As I was researching information for my presentation, I came across this article at Suite101.  It was published last May, but it is as applicable today as it was last year and it will be for years to come!

Top 10 Summer Jobs for Teens

No less than 4 of these Top 10 Jobs are taking place at Meadowbrook each and every day of the Summer:

- Camp Counselor
- Sports Camp Counselor
- Lifeguarding
- Child Care

Most importantly, Teens (and other Young Adults) who work at Meadowbrook gain the valuable life skills that Susan Carney points out in her article:

Communication Skills
Problem Solving Skills
Ability to Work as Part of a Team

And that is just the start!

Do not underestimate the benefits of working at Camp...just ask anyone who has done it!!

See you at Camp!

2011 Staff

One of the important Meadowbrook Differences is that every single staff member, including long time returning staff, re-interview at Camp every year! This allows every staff member to give us ideas of ways we can improve Camp and it allows us to discuss their experience from the prior year and what changes can be made for an even better experience for both the staff member and our Campers!

With schools closed and many students home from college last week, we rehired many great staff members from all areas of Camp.

Just based on last week, we welcome Group Counselors Jimmy D., Abby S., Michael S., Dan B., Brian L., Taylor C., Julia J., Eric F., Erica S., Jackie H., Anna P., Georgia P., Tyler N., Catherine J., Joanne R., Caitlin G., Halina S., Nick W., and Heather Z.

Also returning from last week's interviews are Specialists Pam from Ropes; Lifeguards Rob, Phil, Heather and Stef; Crystal and Gerda; Megan from Dance; Megan and Laura from Gymnastics; and Assistant Waterfront Director Kim.

We have many other Staff that are already on board and more coming in each and every day!! Once again, we are looking forward to the best Staff in Camping!!

ACA Tri-State Conference

At Meadowbrook, we talk a lot about our Leadership Team as an important difference in what we offer our camp families. It is a large, mature, experienced, committed group of professionals that help make the Meadowbrook experience extraordinary for our Campers!

This important difference was on display last week as 12 (yes 12) members of the Meadowbrook Leadership Team attended the American Camp Association Tri-State Conference in Atlantic City. With 12 attendees, we were probably the largest group from any camp in NJ, and among the largest at the conference overall.

Why do we make the commitment and investment to bring so many people? At Meadowbrook, we are dedicated to continuous improvement and lifelong learning for everyone....our Campers...our General Staff...and our Leadership Team! Sure, we can tell everyone what Jay Frankel said, but it is not that same as hearing it first hand and participating in a role play with his actors. We can explain the latest team building game from Jim Cain, but it's not the same as playing it. We can talk about what other camps are doing in the areas of staff hiring, training, facility improvement, program development, but it is not the same as actively participating in the discussion and learning from the best and brightest in the camp industry.

On the exhibit floor, we are always looking for the newest improvements, special event ideas, craft suppliers, etc. Sure, 6 eyes are good....12 are better...24 incredible. We purchased several new items for our Activity Tent, replaced a few more tents, and are adding a new over-surface to the hallway and bathrooms where our Tiny Toon Campers change.

We visited with our suppliers for background checks, t-shirts, insurance, database management, food service and others...We confirmed plans with our entertainers for Reality TV Week, Carnival, X-treme Water Day, and our Giant Board Game...We checked in with camp vendors where we were their first or early clients in the camp industry such as our revolutionary Snap Court Surfaces, bubble machine, and iDance.

Overall, we learned, shared, bonded and grew to help make this Summer at Meadowbrook another Extraordinary Summer for all of our Camp Families!

"I Need To Get A Real Job This Summer"

We are very lucky at Meadowbrook: we have great staff members and they have an amazing Summer working at Meadowbrook. Each year, over 65% of them return for another great Summer. For many of those who don't return, it is because they "Need to get a 'real' job this Summer..."

Today's article in The New York Times does an excellent job of illustrating that working at camp could possibly be the 'most real' job a young adult can have.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/nyregion/09bigcity.html?src=tptw

As I often like to point out, what is a 'real' job...working in an office, wearing a tie, and learning to use a photocopy machine? Or earning the respect and admiration of fifteen 7-year old boys as you capture their imagination while leading them on a secret mission from the bonfire to the hockey rink that nobody else can know about...

As Doug Herzog, the president of the MTV Networks Entertainment Group, says in the article, “College is great; everyone who has the opportunity should go to college, but I learned everything I needed to know at camp.”

How can you top that. Want a "real" job this Summer....work at a camp!!

Meadowbrook Division Heads

One of the most important aspects of Meadowbrook is our amazing Staff. Not only are they great, but there are LOTS OF THEM!

Our Group Counselors are led be an amazing group of Division Heads....13 of them! Once again, we have a great return rate, with 11 of last year's DH's returning to Meadowbrook. They are Sue, Suzanne, Allison T., Mindy, Scott, Alison S., Charlie, Tami, Pat, Andy, and Russ. This year, they will be joined by 2 staff members from last Summer that we welcome to the Leadership Team as new Division Heads: Vickie joins us from the pool and Steve B. joins us from our Ropes staff.

Together, this group meets year-round to help plan an amazing Summer for our Campers! By design, each Division Head supervises a small number of groups so that they can spend lots of time with their Staff and get to know each one of the Campers in their Division....an important Meadowbrook Difference!