Week One, Day One

The campers are here! This week we have blind/visually impaired adults. They all arrived yesterday with bells on! There are such great personalities among the campers. Many of them have been coming to camp for upwards of 10 yrs--one man I checked in yesterday has been coming here 32 years! Our campers range in age from 20-80's--yes, 80's!

One neat thing going on during VBI week is that there are wind chimes placed outside of some of the buildings, each with a different tone so that campers will be able to listen for what building they are at.

There is a lot of opportunity to bond with the campers, as many need an elbow to hold as they travel around camp. They are always appreciative when you help them out. Many are very willing to talk to you about their visual impairment and explain what they can or can not do. That really helps us out a lot, because we have about 130 campers.

There are about five guide dogs here this week, but you can't touch them when hey have their harness on!

Camp functions as more of a resort during adult VBI week. The capers are here to have fun and relax, so it is less structured than it will be when we have kiddos. There is all kinds of fun going on: basket weaving, a polka band, boating, swimming, fishing, nature programs, and sensory theatre.

As for me, I'm beginning a long week in terms of figuring out my sleep schedule. Four days of the week I start at 7am. Throughout each day I will have a different schedule with the same components: Health Lodge hours, time off, cabin time, and passing meds. One night a week I have to be on night call, which means I camp out in the health lodge overnight and wait by the phone in case something happens to a camper in the middle of the night.

Currently I am doing a 5 hour stretch of health lodge hours, waiting for people to come in for meds or ailments...so stay tuned for more updates--and pictures!

~SJ