This week’s all-staff meeting took us out and right into the pines. In the same spaces where children wander, discover, and grow, we gathered as a team to reflect, reconnect, and celebrate the season we’ve shared.
Led by our Advancement Team, the day was filled with color, laughter, and a good dose of friendly competition. Staff split into teams, donned tie-dyed bandanas and face paint, and cheered one another on through challenges that had us racing with eggs, folding sheets, hula hooping, tossing balloons, and holding up the hefty backpacks our outdoor educators carry every day. The finale? A surprise camp-wide water fight complete with water balloons, super soakers, and plenty of laughter.
But more than the games, what stayed with us was the reminder that we matter, to each other and to the mission of Camp Joy. The chants, cheers, hugs, and words of encouragement reminded us that support here is real and lived out. We connected in new ways, saw what makes each of us come alive, and were reminded again that Camp Joy is not just a place, it’s the people who fill it with heart.
As we closed the summer season, we carried forward a simple truth: the strength of Camp Joy is in its people. And when we show up ready to give heart to heart, no one leaves the same.
That is the magic of Joy.
