An ongoing theme throughout Camp Friendship this year, seems to be Superheroes. We sing about them in songs, we put superhero shells on our hermit crabs, and of course, staff and campers love putting undies on the outside of our pants to dress like them.

In the time I have been here, whether it has been years or weeks, I see staff being inspired by our own Friendship Ventures Superhero’s. Whether it is a participant at Friendship Ventures, a staff member or a volunteer, there are plenty of inspiring faces around camp.

3,000 Campers of all ages and levels of disabilities visit Friendship Ventures every year. They are participating in some pretty amazing activities this summer. From archery and rock climbing, to dancing in front of a large crowd; we’ve got to hand it to our participants for inspiring all of us.

Staff members are probably staying up later, and setting their alarm clocks earlier than they ever have before. At Friendship Ventures, staff members are probably working one of the most rewarding jobs they ever have, or ever will. Samantha Vokaty, Program Manager of Volunteers at Friendship Ventures says; “I think it’s amazing that so many of our staff started as volunteers. Erik, Cindy and I, are three examples of people who were volunteers before they were leadership staff. That always inspires me. Also, people that have a long history with camp – Georgann, our VP, started as a lifeguard; Chet started as a Canteen Manager; Jon started as a counselor; it inspires me that so many people love camp so much!” I think it is pretty clear that staff know that there may be easier jobs out there, but few that give back so much.

Volunteers come to Friendship Ventures offering their valuable time in exchange for a great experience, but no monetary compensation. They assist with participants, entertain, and just plain rock! More than 1,200 volunteers donate more than 75,000 hours each year; the equivalent of 35 full time employees.

As you can see, there is a little superhero in all of us just waiting to be discovered. For over 40 years Friendship Ventures has offered a great atmosphere to bring out that superhero in all of us!