Everyone wants to do it right?! We all want to travel and have fun, so when an opportunity to work in the United States comes along where you can work and play all summer whilst helping others comes along, you take it. Working on a  summer camp has always been a dream for me, since watching Parent Trap all them years ago I dreamed of being a counsellor working on a fun camp like Camp Walden! So I applied for Camp last year and never looked back!

Sunset over Hunter Mountain in Upstate NY

I got placed at a special needs camp in upstate New York in the Catskill Mountains, YESSSS, this is where Dirty Dancing was filmed :) From being at camp and meeting the staff and campers I have never looked back. It has completely changed my life and defined me as a person. Never ever give up on your dreams because I am so thankful I never gave up on mine. I always wanted to live and work in the US and I absolutely loved it and still love it.

Working at a special needs camp at first was a little scary, I asked myself many questions. Am I capable? Will I know what to do? Will I make friends? looking back now those questions seem silly, yes I am capable, I knew what to do and I made friends, lifelong friends from all around the world who are incredible selfless people. I remember my journey to camp, I cried from New York City until we got upstate New York, I was scared, worried, homesick, apprehensive. As we approached Hunter I took in the mountain view and all its glory, I was immediately struck by the beauty of the place. The journey I had been planning for years, the ideas, the concepts, the images I had in my head; they came to life, I was at camp and I have never looked back.

That first day at camp changed my life forever, that first day was the beginning of the end.....the end of wanting, dreaming and wishing, and the beginning of a new chapter, a chapter that would challenge me physically, emotionally and mentally and one that would see me touching lives in a way I cant explain. It takes a certain person to work with special needs adults and children, to empower them, to let them into your heart and to give them the best opportunities in life, I am pleased to say I am that person.

The most rewarding part of camp is when you see campers with extreme behaviour issues or additional needs HAPPY, they make friends, they love, laugh, play, engage with one another- they look up to you and show enormous love and admiration to you and you did that! YOU changed their life for that summer!

Parents- ahhh this is my favourite part, this honestly makes my hairs stand on end, when you drive down to the city with the campers at the end of the session to take them back to their parents, of course singing "This is my very special place Camp Loyaltown" and you are meeting and greeting the parents and telling them how much their son/daughter enjoyed and sharing great stories with them and they turn to you, and hold your hand, they thank you for having a massive impact not just on their child's life but on theirs, one mom and dad thanked me as they were able to have two weeks where they could run a bath, take a walk, go to the movies, shop for groceries, watch TV and take a nap without all the business they have to endure everyday, they appreciate you and the camp and they really mean it. That's special. Camp, its My Very Special Place.