A Letter From Elise Croak, Program Director
Parents & Guardians,
This weekend, Ingrid and I had lunch with our incoming summer’s nurse, Katherine, who is a lifelong camp kid. As we walked around camp, she recalled catching up with her dad recently, and she told him her plans to be our camp nurse. He responded to her news with anxiety and fear. He began questioning her about the nurse’s living quarters, its proximity to water, and what her plan would be to stay safe if the weather were to take a turn for the worst. He, too, saw the devastating tragedy that happened in Texas and at Camp Mystic, and upon hearing “summer camp” he immediately thought “danger.” I was struck by this. This fear bubbled up in a man who sent his daughter to summer camp for a decade. He’s no longer registering his child for camp, but even still, his first thoughts were to associate “camp” with images of crises, trauma, worst-case-scenarios, and to do what he could to keep her safe.
I can’t stop thinking about this and you– the current camper parent, the discerning prospective camper parent, the parent who has decided camp isn’t worth the risk anymore. I’m not a parent. I don’t know what it feels like to consider sending my child away even to school, to a friend’s house, to soccer practice, or let alone to a multi-night summer camp far from home. However, I do know what it’s like for 900 of you to send me your child each summer, and I take that extremely seriously. I’m humbled by each and every parent’s trust in Camp Kanuga as their child’s camp home. I trust it’s a massive choice to make, and I want to reiterate that we take the utmost care in preparing our staff, facility, and program to be as safe as possible so that fun and transformation can take place to the fullest degree.
As a professional in the summer camp industry, I’ve seen the effects of last summer’s floods in Texas manifesting in an increase in focus on questions like, “how can we make our camp safer?” Those kinds of questions are always on the camp directors’ tables. But since last summer, and here in western North Carolina beyond Hurricane Helene, those questions are increasingly taking center stage in a significant way. Just last week, Ingrid and I attended a forum hosted by the North Carolina Youth Camp Association focused on strengthening crisis management skills. We discussed emergency action plans and worked through a wide breadth of emergency scenarios together.
At the forum, I heard from many peers that this year’s registration numbers are down compared to years past. While I was glad to hear we’re not the only ones encountering that this off season, I was saddened that the summer camp experience is perhaps being sought less by families. If you’re undecided about sending your children to camp– I’m here to answer questions, support your camp discernment process, receive ideas, or be a resource in any way I can.
If you’ve decided camp isn’t right this summer– I see and honor this decision. If you’ve signed your child up already– thank you for the trust you’re placing in us and know I pray for the ability to steward that trust with the greatest amount of care I can.
In Peace,
Elise Croak
(828) 233-2744
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