Everyone at Camp is a Learner and a Teacher

I spoke recently to my little cousin, who is an active, bright, and funny girl. She likes cheerleading, playing with her puppy, and making music videos with her best friends. She also loves going to summer camp and looks forward to it every year.

Naturally, I had to ask her what her favorite activities at her camp (an overnight camp in Pennsylvania) are, and why she likes them so much. She told me that archery and riflery are fun, but horseback riding is her favorite. Although she's going to try some new things this summer, horseback riding is never going to budge from her schedule. Her friends do all kinds of activities, some of which are similar to her favorites, and their cabin time gives them a space to talk about their days and share memories. Some of her very best friends are from camp.

Anyone who has been to camp or sent their children to camp would agree that these are all pretty typical statements from a happy camper. We know that camp is one of the best places to make true friends, push our limits, and learn things about ourselves that we never knew. But there was something special about this particular conversation with this particular ten-year-old girl, and it came up as she was running around playing make-believe and climbing over the furniture.

"I want to go to camp every year so that I can be a counselor when I'm older."

The best part of hearing a camper say that he or she wants to be a counselor one day is that we know they would be successful. Camp is not about being exclusively a teacher or a learner -- we all teach and we all learn. Having experiences with others is about both giving and receiving. Of course, we hope that campers see in themselves the ability to help and empower others the way they see their counselors doing so.

At Camp Foley, we want every camper to know that even at eight or ten years of age, they have so much to offer and to teach their peers. Not every counselor is a former camper, and not all campers go on to be counselors, but any time spent at camp is an opportunity both to be lead and to lead.

Thank You, Johan Cruyff

We all know what it's like to watch the best of the best in action and think to ourselves, "I want to be like them someday." Having role models is such important part of growing up and figuring out who we were meant to be and what we were meant to do.

Yesterday, the world said a tearful goodbye to Dutch athlete Johan Cruyff, one of the greatest soccer legends of all time and a role model to generations of stars to come. Known for his quick and crafty style of play, the former Barcelona and Ajax player revolutionized soccer in the Netherlands and around the world, helping to develop what is referred to today as "Total Football." He was a perfect example of what it meant to be smart on the pitch -- while he was never much of a show-off, he played to the strengths of his teammates while scoring nearly 400 goals over the course of his career.

To this day, Cruyff and his signature style live on in modern soccer, and the kids of today who will be legends themselves tomorrow will certainly know his name. At Camp Foley, you can expect that our soccer coaches will be looking for ways to bring that same intelligent, team-orientated mindset to every game we play this summer.

So thank you, Johan Cruyff, for decades of inspiration and constant reminders to follow our dreams. We at Camp Foley will think of you with every beautiful goal we score.

What Camp Foley Activity Are You?