Every day, park and recreation professionals provide essential services and maintain essential infrastructure that supports and improves the health and well-being of the public. We need your help in communicating the importance of our work to Pennsylvanians and our funding partners, including the state Legislature. Storytelling Ambassadors naturally communicate the value of parks and recreation and PRPS through story.
Jason and Mike
Summer Camp is special. As a kid growing up, I learned to swim at camp, make new friends at camp, even kissed my first girl at camp! Looking back, the many years I attended summer camp had such a positive impact on my development as a person, both as an individual and as a member of the community as a whole.
I have now been a Recreation Professional for the better part of ten years - but my real recreation career began when I was at Penn State finishing up my Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. On a whim, I took a job at the Bethlehem YMCA as a summer camp counselor.
That first summer, I had a 10 year-old camper named Mikey Rodriguez. Mikey was unlike many of the other campers, he barely said a word, but spoke with his actions. When I asked him to turn left, he would turn right. When I asked him to run, he’d walk. He was openly defiant at every opportunity—and boy, what a challenge! I looked at his camp file, and of course, he was scheduled for every camp day, all summer. To me, that meant I was either going to get through to this kid, or there were going to be fireworks all summer! Slowly, as the summer progressed, and Mikey felt more comfortable in the ebb and flow of camp, he changed...dramatically for the better. I could see his confidence amongst his peers grow and his sense of self-identity emerge—he said, “Jason, someday, I’m going to become an Architect”. Wow! To see the transformation from openly defiant to “Architect” was amazing! By the end of summer camp, Mikey was stuck to my hip, helping me with every aspect of the camp, and I think we were both sad to see the last day arrive.
During the last day of camp, Mikey ran up to me, kind of nervous, and said, “I have a present for you…”. I was fully expecting a card, or letter, something thoughtful yet commonplace in that setting. He pulled from behind his back, a dirty, old, stuffed bunny. I said, “Wow, Mikey, thanks…”. I thought, as any 19 year old would, that it was kind of a peculiar gift. Mikey ran off to play basketball and his mom quickly came up to me and gave me a big bear hug. I told her thanks, but that I couldn't accept the gift. She said, “You don’t understand, that bunny is what he had in his crib as a baby, its his most prized possession, you changed his life, you need to keep it…” I knew then what my true career path would be...and it wasn't Political Science. Working at camp taught me many things: accountability, timeliness, how to communicate effectively, and many more skills I use daily in my professional career.
Courtney Fox, CPRP, Director, Lansdale Borough Parks & Recreation
When I was studying Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Penn State, my goal was to be a recreation director for a cruise ship or resort. What could be better than living in paradise and getting paid to have fun?! During my internship at an oceanfront resort on Hilton Head Island, my fellow interns and I did just that – we were having the time of our lives!
Every day we would show up to work and greet new guests on vacation for a long weekend, or maybe a week. Staff would rotate between the towel hut, shaved ice stand, bike rentals, and kid’s club. The kid’s club was always my personal favorite. For a hefty fee, parents would drop their kids off with the recreation interns and we would play on the beach, throw diving rings in the pool, and feed them all the shaved ice their little hearts desired. Some parents would leave their kids with us every day on their “family” vacation.
By the time August rolled around, I couldn’t wait to go home. The job had lost its appeal. The rotation of families and guests made it hard to build relationships. We would see different guests check-in and out every few days, but they were all the same. It started to feel like Groundhog’s Day.
I came back to Penn State that fall to finish my final semester. I now had absolutely no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. On a whim, I applied for a job with YMCA of Greater Seattle. It was a seasonal job teaching outdoor and environmental education at a residential camp on a tiny island in the most northwest corner of the US. I was only supposed to stay on the island for three months but ended up staying for six. I then got hired to work full-time in the camp headquarters in downtown Seattle.
This, I thought, THIS is what I wanted to do! The camp was not just for wealthy families that worked for Amazon or Microsoft; the YMCA provided financial aid that made it possible for kids from the poorest Seattle neighborhoods to attend camp. Kids that would typically never get to experience kayaking in the San Juan Islands or hanging out 30’ high on a ropes course, had the opportunity to do so.
My time at the YMCA laid the groundwork to working in the public sector. We might not have white sand under our toes, but now I get to provide everyone in the community the opportunity to enrich their lives and improve their health. The best part: it never feels like Groundhog’s Day!