Moving Forward

Okay, I just re-read my entry from Tuesday night and I’m considerably better today than I was after the town hall meeting.

On Wednesday I woke up filled with dread, toured camp to measure the water and take photos and then called 150 parents (some of whom I’d spoken with just a few days earlier when I had rescheduled them from the first week).

I’ve worked incredibly hard for 4 years to build relationships with families. I send emails, make personal phone calls, and have worked hard to know (and be known by) campers AND parents. I have put a lot of effort into making people feel like they are sending their child to a familiar place, rather than a generic program where they will get lost in the shuffle. It has taken me YEARS, but I have made great progress and so I felt that I owed it to every parent to call him or her personally- even though I REALLY didn’t want to call anyone.

I left about 50 messages, but I talked to most people. There wasn’t one negative or crabby person. Everyone was kind and so sympathetic. Many asked if I needed anything personally and asked how they could help. Several told me that they schedule their summer around camp and that they would keep rescheduling so their children could come.

A few people have cancelled because their schedules wouldn’t allow for a different week, but even those people were kind and assured me they’d be back next year.

I’ve spoken with and emailed with several board members who have all been complimentary and encouraging. One even said, “you are a hero to lead this camp” which I thought was dramatic but I appreciated her sentiment.

The remaining staff members and I called all staff and then I followed up with an email with more details. I told them that I want all of them to come back but I understand if they need to get a different job. All have written back with words of encouragement (“keep your director-face”) and prayers and deeper empathy than I’d expected. Many have made comments about how painful this must be for me and I deeply appreciate their words, because I am trying really hard to be strong and upbeat and encouraging for them, but, yes, this is REALLY painful for me. All of the staff has said they will be back to camp as soon as I call and I am relieved and thankful for their loyalty. They are going to earn about 1/3 less than they’d planned and that has to be difficult for them.

I only cancelled two more weeks, although I know that the session that begins July 15 is probably going to have to be cancelled as well. I couldn’t bring myself to cancel that one too. Not yet.

On the bright side, I added another week in August. Enough staff said they would be available and so we’ll now have camp August 19-24. Several parents have already switched to that week, so I’m relieved we could save those registrations. I’m not sure how many we will lose when this is all said and done, but for right now, I’m hopeful. We’re losing two weeks (hopefully that’s it) and one was really small anyway, so the impact is going to be minimal. In the grand scheme of 65 years, losing two weeks isn’t the end of the world or the end of camp. We are going to be fine.

The lake is going to crest on Friday and once I see the full effect of the flood, I am going to go home for the week and relax while the water recedes. I didn’t want a vacation, but maybe a few days away will be a nice break. Until then, we’re here for a few more days, doing everything we can to minimize the damage and enjoy quiet, sunny camp.