I have felt loved by the folks at Cedarkirk like a member of
their families. And no matter how long it’s been since the last
time I came, that love always makes me feel welcomed back.

In many ways, Cedarkirk has been my home for 16 years. I first found out about Cedarkirk through the Presbyterian church in my hometown of Englewood, FL, where they helped send my sister and me to camp in elementary school. I immediately fell in love with going to camp, meeting new people, and being involved in Cedarkirk’s life-changing ministry.

My earliest memories of Cedarkirk are of Bible studies and campfires. As a young person, being at Cedarkirk taught me so much about love. Not just showing love to others, but acknowledging the love present in my life and having gratitude for that. I have felt loved by the folks at Cedarkirk like a member of their families. And no matter how long it’s been since the last time I came, that love always makes me feel welcomed back.

I knew very early on that my dream career was to do camp full time. Cedarkirk has been the driving force in that career since the beginning. I spent three consecutive summers on staff in a few different roles as well as participating in the Discernment Through Service program. Through those experiences, I have been blessed with an astounding amount of professional and personal development. During my DTS experience I began to realize that the more of myself I put into the ministry of Cedarkirk, the more I was able to get out of the experience.

Because of the love and care put into me and my development by the staff at Cedarkirk, I have been able to work full time in the camp industry for the last seven years. Throughout my travels across the country, working at various other camps, I have gained even more context for how special Cedarkirk’s ministry truly is.

Cedarkirk is uniquely special and transforming compared to other camps I’ve worked at, and I’ve even had folks from other camps tell me they knew of Cedarkirk’s reputation for having amazing staff. I am proud to be a part of Cedarkirk’s ministry – and I can’t even imagine a life where I wasn’t.