A friendly atmosphere throughout camp sets the tone for group therapy to flourish. Maintenance staff, secretaries, cooks, and administrators - all are as vital to camp spirit as the counseling staff. A cooperative team approach gives girls a chance to relax – they learn that they don’t need to impress anyone. Everyone they meet at camp is already on their team.

The Chuckwagon

The heartbeat of camp can be heard most strongly around the dining hall fireplace. As groups eat and sing together, they develop a sense of community and camp spirit. Group identity is expressed, not in destructive competition, but in the cohesive sharing of themselves, their goals, and their discoveries. Laughter, friendliness, and happy singing blend into what one psychiatrist called “inspirational therapy.”

Outdoor Chapel

How does a girl become a whole person? The camp stresses physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual growth within a Christian context.

Twice a week all the groups meet in the outdoor chapel under the trees for a time of sharing and encouragement. In their own language, campers and chiefs tell of the deeper spiritual insights that have become real through their experiences of the week. Many discover that peace with one’s Creator is basic to personal fulfillment.

Pow-wow

Every night in the “pow-wow” the group gathers around a friendly fire to talk over the day. Questions of personal growth, today’s successes and tomorrow’s plans are discussed. Out of this common fund of shared experience grows the warm group spirit that fosters real change.

Chiefs

Most members of the camp staff are referred to as “chief,” including the two group counselors a girl gets to know most closely.  “Chief is a friend no matter what!” However unfriendly the camper, a chief remains her dependable friend and helper. This person cares enough to invest deeply – dares enough to accept her own need for personal change and growth in order to help a girl overcome.