What Do You Do All Year? Laura Edition.

Ah yes, the classic “what do you do all year as a camp Director?” question. We hear it all the time, and we get it - this job is a little weird! So that’s why we’re answering it in our series this fall.

We’ve already covered Jimboy, and today we’re moving on to Laura. What does your favorite camp mom do when her campers are gone? Read on to find out!

Describe in a few words what your role at camp is during the off-season.

We have a terrific Head Staff and I love being part of the team. We work together to go over every detail of camp with the goal of making next summer the best yet!

What are some things that are on your work-list every week?

There are some things I do daily- like emails and calls with parents. During the year, there are different things to work on depending on what month it is.

In the fall, Gervais and I handle the events at camp, including 3 weekends when we host the RUF Fall Conferences and have about 300 students each weekend from schools all over the south who come to camp to worship and grow spiritually! This year, we are getting re-accredited with the ACA and I’ve been working on that. I read staff applications and get excited about who we get to work with next summer. In the new year, I’ll start responding to new camper letters. In the spring, I’ll get to work on cabin placement; probably the most important part of my job.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

I love being LaLa for my 5 grandchildren! Harter and Lawson live close by so I get to play with them lots and I am excited for when I get to be with Levi and his new twin sisters who were born during camp.

I also love to cook. Gervais and I love to talk about new menus we can have at camp. And I love to sit by the fire with Gervais. I have a fish pond that I enjoy; we had lots of babies this summer while I was at camp.

Any other rhythms you make time for throughout the year?

We live in a fabulous neighborhood with lots of friends nearby. It is not unusual for us to have 10 or 15 people around our table for dinner. Gervais built a long table for outside and put up one of the old camp tents. It helped us survive covid and we are continuing to enjoy it.

How would YOU answer the question “What do you do all year?”

I enjoy family, friends, and a slower pace. Of course, I also look forward to next summer!