Camp Wayne has been such an important part of my life over the last few years! When I first started working at Wayne, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But after I met the other counselors and staff, I knew that Camp Wayne was a really amazing and special place. These girls have literally changed my life. Being around children makes me really appreciate life and see things through the eyes of a child again. I have taken those eyes with me, out of camp and into the rest of my life. Nothing in this world can compare to the summers that I spend in Preston Park, and no one can compare to the people I have met there.
– Elizabeth “Blue” Andriacco
Camp Wayne has affected my life in so many ways. There’s no other place like it in the world. Going to Camp Wayne was one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made. Camp Wayne teaches you everyday to be creative, caring, outgoing, confident, and a better person. You get to meet some of the greatest, most talented people from all over the country. You get to be like a kid again and act goofy, play games, and just have a blast. I wish everyone could experience Camp Wayne because I could talk for hours about how much I love it, but you’ll never truly get the full impact unless you experience it for yourself!
– Amanda Medeiros
Why do I love camp? How could I not love camp? Where do I even begin? Going to camp was the scariest, craziest thing I had ever done. When I got there I was thinking about how I had left my family, my friends, and not to mention my boyfriend. One week later, I knew why I was there and I was hooked. Why do I love camp? Because of my girls. Easy as that, I love my girls. I am there for them when they are happy, when they have questions, when a boy has broken their heart; I still tuck them in, even though my girls are getting a little older now. There are no words that can express what camp has done for me. It has changed my life. You start to find yourself living 10 months for the 2 months in the summer. Give it one summer and you will understand what camp truly means. My girls and co-counselors have taught me so much. I can’t believe that at one point I thought I was crazy for going, now I think I am even crazier for even thinking for a second that I wouldn’t go back.
– Kristen “Cricket” Anderson
The summer I spent at Camp Wayne taught me how crucial it is to stay connected to the child within yourself. Somewhere between high school and college, a lot of people seem to lose track of the uninhibited, frivolous nature that they possessed as children. It may sound cliché, but I believe a summer at Camp Wayne, surrounded by creative, inspired and loving campers and counselors, will change your life, or at least the way you perceive it. Camp is an instant reminder that no matter where you come from or where you plan on going, it’s the people you share your experiences with that really matter, not your destination.
– Steph Huffstutter
Before coming to Camp Wayne, I was not prepared for what was to be the best summer of my life. Wayne is a place that helps make people the best human beings that they could possibly be. It’s a place where the “coolest” person can be found doing the UNcoolest thing and LOVING every moment of it. It’s the place where I compare every camp, school, group, memory to… it’s the only place I’ll ever send my kids.
– Chris Kang
When I think of all the ways Camp Wayne has changed my life, I feel extremely fortunate that I found it as soon as I did. I was a freshman in college and had never been exposed to a philosophy of working with children like the philosophy at Camp Wayne. I am so glad that Noel saw something in me and gave me a chance to come to work with the girls. I absolutely loved my campers that first summer. I have had the opportunity to watch them grow from little girls to the amazing young women they are now. I would like to say that I have changed their lives (and I think I have) but the most astounding part of it all is how much they have changed my life. I have learned more from my summers at camp, from my campers, from my fellow counselors, and from the Directors at Camp Wayne than I did in all of my college years. There is something special at Wayne, and if you open your heart to the magic of it, you will be forever changed.
– Shauna Moser
I can’t explain how great my love for Camp Wayne is. There is something extraordinary about the place. The girls are amazing and each one can teach you more about yourself. I went into my first summer expecting to make an impact on everyone I met; I could never have expected to be so impacted by 200 girls younger than myself and all of my wonderful co-counselors. Camp is a great place to become a better person! I will never forget it.
– Tarrah Declemente
Just recently, I was going through some things and ran across all of my Camp Wayne gear. I can hardly believe that it was almost 7 years ago that I was a camp counselor. I have so many fond memories of my summer at Wayne with all of the amazing staff and children. As someone who never went to camp as a girl, I was in awe of the whole place. At first I couldn’t believe that the kids would be away from home for so long, but as I became a part of Camp Wayne I realized it would be a shame to not be a part of camp life. Camp Wayne was “home”. What I remember most about Camp Wayne was that it truly was a “Nice People Place”! Everyone I encountered was so friendly, helpful and FUN! I would mark my “Camp Wayne Summer” as one of my best. What a wonderful experience!
– Anne (Renninger) Hund
Congratulations. Just by reading this letter you have taken the first step to improving your life. Becoming a member of the Camp Wayne family will enrich your life in ways that you thought unimaginable.
Julie Schecter