Meet Our New Riding Director and Junior Camp Program Director!
Camp is all about the people, and we always want to keep you updated on changes to our year-round team.
Well come on and pop the confetti with us, because today we have not one, but two people to celebrate! We think you’ll agree that they are perfect for these roles and will make this wonderful place even better moving forward.
New Riding Director: Elizabeth Vandenbark
We are so grateful for everything Heidi has done over the last two years as she has held the reins at the Barn, but she is moving on to other exciting opportunities, and we knew the perfect person to take her place. Of course, “new” is relative because you already know and love her, especially if you’ve been around Junior Camp in the last few years: Elizabeth Vandenbark is our new Riding Director!
Elizabeth has been riding since she could walk and was even on her college Equestrian Team, so she brings years of horse experience to this position. She played a big role in our Riding program before she started with Junior Camp and is so excited to move back down to the Barn. It was actually the first place she and her husband Devan lived when they got married!
She’s excited to care for all of our Farm Barn animal friends, spend lots of time outside with her young family, and lead the Riding program into the future. If you ever have questions about Thunderhead Ranch, our Farm Barn animals, or Riding at camp in general, would love to hear from you!
New Junior Camp Program Director: Meredith Bird
With Elizabeth transitioning to the Barn, we knew we had to find the right person to take over the Junior Camp hiring and activity planning, so we recruited another familiar face: Meredith Sellers Bird!
Meredith grew up attending camp and has followed in her mother’s footsteps, returning to work for a few weeks each summer, even amidst her “real world” responsibilities. This summer will be her third working at Junior Camp, but her love for Greystone actually started at Junior when she was first a camper. That one week gave her confidence to go to a longer session, and she still remembers her first counselor - shoutout to Shannon!
Meredith said it so well: “I love Junior Camp so much because it’s a sprint, and the girls love every minute of camp! Even with such a short session, you’ll see deep friendships form within cabin groups, and that goes for staff too. Some of my favorite people are my friends from Junior; we continue to cheer each other on throughout the year, which is special.”
She’s ready to get hiring and introduce new staff to the magic of Greystone as well as welcome alumnae back home for an incredible week at camp. Does this sound right up your alley? - she would love to talk to you more about joining our team for the cutest week of the summer!
Needless to say, we are thrilled to welcome these two to their new positions and to see the way the Lord will use them in their work here.
Are you as excited as we are? Comment below to join the chorus and celebrate their new roles!