Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How Camp at ESP Happens
Ever wonder who makes camp happen, what makes ESP camp so fun, when we have the time to fit all of the fun in, where we go on our adventures, how camp at ESP Happens, and why we do all that we do… wonder no more! The secret is out!
A day in the life of camp at Extra Special People:
8:45 a.m. parents are starting to line up to drop their awesome kiddos off to have the BEST day ever!
Staff eagerly waits for their campers to arrive!
Finally! They’re here!
The Bouncing Bean opens up shop at 9:00 a.m.! You can’t beat black coffee, flavored coffee, or chocolate milk for just a dollar! Come one, come all!
Everyone heads to his or her unit. What is a unit you ask? A unit is how our age groups are broken up. Each unit has it’s own name, unit leader, and counselors! Our unit leaders got pretty creative and came up with some great themes!
Unit Signs!
FLAG!!!!
We start out the day with the pledge of allegiance and then break out with our favorite song….
Extra Special People that is who we are. We’re ESP you and me
Extra Special People that is who we are. We’re ESP you and me
We face a special challenge and learn to rise above it
With courage and a good friend, together we can make it!
Extra Special People that is who we are. We’re ESP you and me
Extra Special People that is who we are. We’re ESP you and me
We help out in our cities and learn some useful skills
We just want to contribute. Try us you’ll be thrilled!
Where people get together to see what we create
To build some understanding and better to relate
We’re the group that refuses to yield.
Extra Special People that is who we are
We’re E-S-P, YOU and ME!
Time for BRAGS!
What are brags?
Brags are a time for our counselors to brag on our campers for reaching their goals, facing their fears, or being helpful!
Next up is Specialty. At specialty we do fun things like…. Fishing…
And obstacle courses
And play dough
And SO MUCH MORE; there are too many to name!
Before lunchtime, we head inside to our units for unit time! During unit time, we make and decorate homemade sugar cookies, color, craft, dance, and take a break!
Every now and then, you might catch one (or two :)) campers taking a quick break from all of the fun!
Depending on the day, after lunch, we either head to the pool or….
Go bowling!
After a fun filled day, our campers head home!
Now you know WHO makes camp happen, WHAT makes ESP camp so fun, WHEN we have the time to fit all of the fun in, WHERE we go on our adventures, HOW camp at ESP happens….we still have one more to tell you….WHY we do it!
This quote pretty much sums it up. We do it for our participants. They mean the world to us. After scrolling through “A Day in the Life of Camp at ESP”, you see their smiles, you see their laughs, and you see the awesome times we have together. They’re the ones that make us laugh and smile; they are the ones that give hugs that instantly make our day; and they are the reason why ESP exists. At ESP, nothing is impossible. We give our participants the opportunity to do just about anything. We focus on each individual’s ability and help them thrive, not just survive.
When several of the staff members were asked to describe ESP in one word, it is evident that ESP is a beautiful and unique place. How many places can you describe using words such as “home, inspiring, safe, authentic, family, impactful, rewarding, joyful, accepting”? Don’t you wish these were the words we could use to describe the world we live in?
