Evie

I am the person I am today because of the time I spend at Evergreen. Even as a counselor, I leave each summer a more confident version of the person who arrived at the beginning of the summer. That is because of the community Kenwood and Evergreen has so thoughtfully created and perfectly maintained throughout my 12 summers where every single person is committed to being their best, kindest, more caring, considerate and respectful self.

One of the things I love most about camp is how much people care. I love how passionate campers and counselors are about what we do and making camp the absolute best place. Take color war for example. To the outside world, color war is an anomaly; it’ some competition that doesn’t exist in the real world nor does it have any meaning to those outside of camp. Who wins doesn’t determine who gets the best job or who gets into the best school, yet camp has created this environment where an event that started from nothing now means more than anything in the world to campers and staff alike. People will give every piece of themselves to help their team win. I see campers play until they no longer can anymore, friends cheering until their voices are lost, teams singing so loud rooms shake.

I love how passionate campers and counselors are about what we do and making camp the absolute best place. Evie

This environment gives every kid and counselor a purpose, something to believe in, and something to care about. This event brings the entire camp together in a setting where passion and commitment are not only encouraged, but expected; compared to school and activities of traditional teenage life where those traits are often seen as “uncool.” I have tried to explain Color War to those that have never experienced it and can never do it justice. The atmosphere it creates is magical, just like everything else at camp too.

Camp has always been a place where I feel comfortable being myself. It has taught me how to recognize true friends and how to commit to something while also teaching me how to accept defeat and failure. I found my best friends at camp: those that I call for advice, help, a laugh, with the great news and the not so great news. And now, every summer I’m on staff, I get to take part in watching my campers grow into wonderful, confident women. I get to be there to guide them and to help teach them everything camp has taught to me. Getting to see them grow and learn and laugh and smile brings me the utmost joy and is an opportunity I cherish every minute of. There is nothing I do that I am more proud of.