Connecting with Your Camp Community as a Previous Staff Member
We always say that being on staff at camp is one of the hardest, best jobs you’ll ever have. It’s beautiful and hard and sanctifying and silly. You laugh a lot, sleep a little, and pour every bit of yourself out all for the sake of showing girls Jesus and giving them the best summer of their lives.
Working at camp will show you who you are, the good and the hard, and give you friendships with your fellow staff members that last. After all, you just went through something BIG together. Who else is going to get all your inside jokes and crazy camp storieS?
You leave at the end of August Camp with tears in your eyes, promising to visit each other at school that year. The weeks go by and you get back in the swing of real life. The group chats die down, and you reacclimate to air conditioning and nights in the library instead of the Hut. Before you know it, all that’s left of your summer at camp is the stickers on your waterbottle and acquaintances who like your occasional Instagram post.
Friends, there is so much more community available to you, whether you worked one summer, or ten. You don’t have to be that crazy camp girl to tap in to these resources and remember who you were during your time at Greystone. No matter how long it’s been since you pulled on that staff t-shirt, we are so grateful for the impact you left here. Come be a part of our community again!
- Reach out to your campers and counselor friends. No matter how many years it’s been, it’s never too late to get back in each others’ lives. Find your old campers on social media (don’t worry, they’ll remember you!), text those fellow staffers you had your day off with just to say hi, or send Jimboy and Margaret a Christmas Card (they’ll remember you too!). Your summer here was significant, and that impact can still continue, even if you’ve hung up your Chacos.
- Pray for our 2020 staff. You know exactly what they’re preparing for, so who better to lift them up to the Lord? Take some time this month to join us in praying for the staff that is coming together for our 101st summer. Pray for their fears and hopes for the summer, their school work, and that God would prepare their hearts for His good work here. Make sure to stop by our Staff Profiles in the spring to see who will be working!
- Bring your camp journal back out. Being home for the holidays gives you the perfect chance to go through that box of camp things that’s still in your childhood bedroom. The pictures and t-shirts are fun, but we’d encourage you to flip through your Bible, journal, or saved letters from that summer. Remind yourself of what God taught you while you were here, of how you grew and changed. Check out some old Staff Blogs to see what others took away from their experience too!
- Come work again! Just because you’re not in college anymore doesn’t mean we don’t still have a place for you. If you can’t commit to the whole summer, think about Junior Camp - we love having all hands on deck for this fast paced, precious starter session. Not available during the summers? Stop by for a visit! If your holiday road trip route brings you past Tuxedo, drive on through. Show your family where you spent those summers. You are always welcome here!
Resources we love:
- Join our Alumnae Network. Even if you never attended as a camper, as a staff member, you are a part of our community, and we would love to keep in touch with you as an alum! Register to receive mailings and updates on future reunions.
- Purchase Gerv’s coffee. Bring back those fond memories of drinking coffee on the Dining Hall porch with a bag of Little River Roasting coffee. Kitchen Director Gervais Hollowell roasts it in Spartanburg, SC. It’s the taste of camp! Not a coffee drinker? Try out a camp recipe this Christmas.
- Give in honor of your camp memories. It’s the season to be generous, and if camp helped you grow to who you are today, why not give back? Donate to The Great Day Fund to help send girls to camp, or support our campus ministers who give their time to Greystone during the summer. In 2019 we welcomed Sam Taaffe to June Camp, Matt Howell to Main Camp, and David Speakman to August Camp.
- Bring back your memories with some camp music. Check out our Spotify Channel for all the current camp hits, and our SoundCloud for all your favorite Dining Hall songs. Close your eyes and you might as well be back in the bubble!
- Order the 100th Anniversary Book. If camp holds a special place in your heart, you need this book for your coffee table! It is a treasure trove of all things Greystone, and the perfect thing to wrap up under your tree.
- Subscribe to the Daily Devotions. Your life now may look very little like your staff days, but you can still get that Greystone spiritual growth you loved, with daily devotions from our camp ministers and old staff members. Want to write devotions for us? Email cat@campgreystone.com. You can also listen to Morning Assembly talks from the summer, take our Prayer Challenge, or see what spiritual resources we love.